Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs at NRG Stadium on September 29, 2023.
Stefon Diggs admitted that beating the Buffalo Bills, his former team, in Sunday’s game carried a bit more meaning.
The statement didn’t sit well with some Bills fans.
The Bills fell to Diggs and the Houston Texans 23-20 on October 6 after a second-half rally fell short. Diggs told reporters after the game that it was not a “regular win,” stirring up some resentment among the Bills fan base.
Stefon Diggs: ‘It Meant a Lot to Me’
Diggs led the Texans with six receptions for 82 yards, helping push his team to 4-1 while the Bills dropped to 3-2. After the game, the former All-Pro wide receiver admitted that it carried some extra importance to beat his former team.
“We got a dub this week. We 1-0. Obviously, playing my old team, I’m not going to sit here and act like it was just regular,” Diggs said, via DJ Bien-Amie of ESPN. “It meant a lot to me, and it was reassuring that the guys around me knew that it meant a lot to me, even if I didn’t say it. I try to just keep it poised and treat every week like it’s the same. But I’d be lying if I said it didn’t mean a lot to me.”
Some Bills fans pushed back on the statement, questioning why he might feel bitter over a split they believe he initiated. Diggs and his brother, Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs, stirred drama during the wide receiver’s final season with the Bills, sharing cryptic statements on social media hinting at unhappiness.
Stefon Diggs said it did mean a lot to get the win over the Bills.
He later added: “Playing my old team, I’m not gonna sit here &act like it was just regular. It meant a lot to me & it was reassuring that the guys around me knew that it meant a lot to me, even if I didn’t say it” pic.twitter.com/Q29rZtpdCu— katherine fitzgerald (@kfitz134) October 6, 2024
“Can somebody tell me when the Bills became the bad guys with this whole thing,” one fan shared in a post on X. “Dude had his brother tweeting [expletive] the last two years. He’s the one throwing tantrums on the sideline and he’s the victim. Dude please. Time to own your part in it all”
SI.com reporter Kyle Silagyi added that Diggs himself was the driving force behind the trade earlier this year, noting that the Bills “initially [had] no desire to trade him” with Diggs later admitting that he orchestrated the move.
“None of those teams [Minnesota or Buffalo] wanted to get rid of me,” Diggs said in a September interview for GQ. “Things had to shake because I kind of wanted them to shake.”
Bills Wide Receivers Struggle
While the Bills went into the 2024 season with a mentality that “everybody eats” — spreading the ball more evenly among a group of talented wide receivers — the approach has fallen flat in the last two games. The Bills struggled in the air on Sunday, with quarterback Josh Allen completing just 9-of-30 passes for 131 yards with one touchdown.
The team’s wide receivers struggled with drops and looked out of sync with Allen, including a long pass to Mack Hollins that fell just beyond his reach.
After the game, some pundits suggested the Bills may need to find a new bona fide No. 1 receiver to make up for the departure of Diggs. SI.com writer Ronnie Eastham urged the Bills to swing a trade for Las Vegas Raiders receiver Davante Adams, who is expected to hit the trade block this week.