By last Sunday night, only one unbeaten team had remained in the NFL: the Buffalo Bills, a serious Super Bowl contender that saw top tier performances from both their offense and defense en route to a 4-0 start. And yet, despite their record and status as 8.5-point home favorites, they saw their perfect season go up in flames in front of a national audience.
After four straight losses at Highmark Stadium, the New England Patriots were able to celebrate a 23-20 win. Considering the environment and quality
of opponent, that was a major achievement for the team of head coach Mike Vrabel — one capable of putting the rest of the league on notice.
And yet, for wide receiver Stefon Diggs, a bigger challenge might await the Patriots in Week 6: the 1-4 New Orleans Saints.
Wait. What?
“Super important that we flip the page,” Diggs explained at his Gillette Stadium locker on Wednesday. “I know the record might not show it, but they’re very skillful up front and in the backend and, to be honest, it might be a bigger test than last week just as far as having success, and being able to replicate that process or do it all over again, and work equally as hard, and [pay] attention to detail, and focus.
“Because this opponent, I know their record doesn’t say it but that’s a good football team. They’ve been in one-score games plenty of times and I don’t expect it to be no different. We got to go in there with the right mindset.”
The Patriots are entering Week 6 off back-to-back victories, a new experience for them not just in 2025 but for quite some time. The team had not manufactured such a streak since winning three in a row between October and November 2022.
Properly handling that new-found success and not allowing a mental drop-off to happen will be crucial moving into a game against what is on paper an inferior opponent. Diggs, one of the team’s emotional leaders and somebody who has plenty of experience in these matters, is ready to guide the Patriots.
Then again, they have also been prepared by their head coach, who has made the challenges of success a frequent talking point since his arrival in January. “Preparing to win” and “Learning to win” have been two of Mike Vrabel’s go-to phrases over the last few months.
For Diggs, part of that process as it relates to the current situation is being properly prepared.
“Going in poised, prepared, and understanding that there is going to be some adversity,” he said. “There’s going to be a curveball, 100%. Every team does it. It doesn’t matter who you play, they are going to show you something different that they might not have shown on film. So, just going in with that mindset of being poised and having a having a real plan.”
