As of late, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs has not made as much of an impact as he usually does. The Bills are still in the playoff picture and have a good chance of extending their season, but with a chance of missing it completely, they'll want Diggs at his best for the season finale.
This week, the AFC East title is on the line. If they win, the Bills get the divisional crown and the No. 2 seed. If they lose, their season could be over, depending on the results of a few earlier games.
With the season potentially on the line, and their seeding certainly on the line, getting production out of their star players has never been more crucial.
In the last four games and in six of the last seven contests, Diggs has less than 50 yards and has played 65 percent or fewer plays in the last three matchups.
Diggs stats tell a tale of two seasons, with a significant change from Weeks 1-9 to Weeks 10-17. Here is how it breaks down:
Catch percentage | Catches per game | Yards per catch | Receiving yards per game | Total touchdowns | |
Weeks 1-9 | 72.2 | 7.8 | 11.9 | 92.7 | 7 |
Weeks 10-17 | 54.5 | 4.3 | 8.7 | 37.4 | 1 |
When asked why Diggs has not seen the field as much, head coach Sean McDermott confirmed that it's not due to injury. McDermott said the lack of targets is quarterback Josh Allen not making risky throws to the wide receiver.
"Medically, there's nothing big that's been, to my knowledge, ailing him and the communication I'm getting from Nate (Breske), our trainer on that," McDermott said, (via the team's official website). "And it's just Josh going through his reads and going through his progressions and making sure that we're going through the progressions properly."
McDermott noted the significance of having a player like Diggs.
"He's a big factor for us. We're going to need him down the stretch here," he said.
Joe Brady, who became the offensive coordinator in November, says limiting Diggs' snaps is something they are consciously doing.
"Look, I think there's times where we definitely tag him out of plays," Brady said. "I think it was something earlier in the season we talked about to get to where we want to get -- to just not playing (that many snaps)."
When they look at the playbook and the plan for games, Brady says, "There's plays where we go into the weekend where we purposely have him out of the game."
If the Bills defeat the 11-5 Dolphins, Buffalo will secure their fourth straight AFC East title.
