This year’s playoffs are delivering game after game of great entertainment. It’s shaping up to be another exciting game as the Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots are separated by just three points in the third quarter. The Patriots’ offense hasn’t looked as dynamic as it has throughout the year, and Stefon Diggs has been relatively quiet.
Stefon Diggs’ Slow Start
Diggs hasn’t been a big factor in the first half against the Chargers. He has only one catch for seven yards, and the Patriots need to get him involved if they want to pull away from Los Angeles.
He’s the number one receiving option in New England and has developed a great relationship with Drake Maye. After a season-ending injury in 2024, the Patriots took a risk bringing in an aging Diggs, but he’s paid dividends.
Diggs is the fourth-best receiver in PFSN’s WR Impact Metric with an impact score of 87.0. The Patriots’ passing attack hasn’t gotten off the ground and hasn’t looked anything like it has in the regular season. Maye is in a battle with Matthew Stafford for the MVP award, but it hasn’t been an MVP first half from the second-year quarterback.
Maye has completed only six of his 15 passes for 95 yards. He threw an interception by his own end zone after a deflection, but the defense bailed out the offense with a crucial red zone stop.
The Patriots are leading at the half by only three points. The Chargers got the ball out of the half but failed to take advantage as the Patriots’ defense continued to do what it had been doing in the first half.
New England barely missed out on the No. 1 seed in the AFC, but is struggling to distance itself from Los Angeles. It wasn’t expected to be a blowout, but the Patriots’ offense doesn’t appear to be the same dangerous unit from the regular season. Maye, Diggs, and the other offensive threats have to step up, or it could be a heartbreaking end to a great season.
The second half should treat fans to entertainment, as all the previous Wild Card games have lived up to the hype. The game remains in the balanc,e and it’s hard to imagine the trend will change. Whichever team makes the big plays in the big moments will be the team moving on.
Editor’s Note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.
