Patriots' unexpected playoff run has given Stefon Diggs a shot at redemption

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Patriots' unexpected playoff run has given Stefon Diggs a shot at redemption

Mark Daniels · MassLive

Thu, Jan 22, 2026 ·

4 min read

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FOXBOROUGH – The game was over.

As red and yellow confetti rained down inside Arrowhead Stadium, most Buffalo Bills players departed for the visitor’s locker room. That wasn’t the case for Stefon Diggs .

The veteran receiver stood on the field and watched the scene unfold as members of the Chiefs accepted the Lamar Hunt Trophy after beating the Bills in the AFC Championship game in 2021.

Photos of Diggs, standing there in his helmet and full uniform, went viral. It also marked the first and only time the Pro Bowl receiver played in a conference championship.

That’ll change this weekend when the Patriots take on the Denver Broncos with a Super Bowl LX berth on the line.

“I’m equally as motivated as I was last week to win the game. I try not to make things more than what they are. That was a moment in my life four or five years ago,” Diggs said when asked about the photo. “A lot has happened since then. Be where my feet are right now. We have a great opportunity right in front of us. Everybody over here is laser-focused.”

Diggs is one of seven players on the team’s active roster to have played in a conference championship. He joins Carlton Davis , Christian Elliss , Austin Hooper , Harold Landry , Morgan Moses , and Milton Williams . The same goes for Mack Hollins (who’s on the injured reserve) and coach Mike Vrabel.

The message from those players echoes the receiver’s sentiments. Although a trip to the conference title game, never mind the Super Bowl, is rare, the key is not overthink it.

That’ll be vital on Sunday when the Patriots play inside a very loud Mile High Stadium.

“You’ve got to treat it all like it’s the same,” Hooper said. “If you let the moment build up more than what it is, in my experience, that hasn’t really helped. Just gotta stay locked in on what you have to do, go out there and compete and have some fun.”

Hooper’s lone conference championship game came in 2017, when the Atlanta Falcons beat the Green Bay Packers to reach the Super Bowl. Two weeks later, the Falcons lost to the Patriots in Super Bowl LI.

Elliss was in the NFC Championship during the 2022 season as his Philadelphia Eagles beat San Francisco . They later lost to Kansas City in Super Bowl LVII.

Davis was in Tampa Bay when the Buccaneers (and Tom Brady ) beat the Packers in the 2020 NFC Championship. That team went on to beat the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.

Among all the players with playoff experience, no one tops Williams.

Sunday marks the third time in the last four seasons that the Patriots’ defensive tackle will have played in a conference title game.

“Truly grateful,” Williams said. “I didn’t expect to be here as soon as we are, but I’m blessed. God’s been so good to me. That’s all I can say. I’m just blessed, thankful, grateful for the opportunity.

“It’s the same thing every week. Keep it simple. Fall back on your technique. Fall back on your training. There’s going to be a lot of noise around the game since there are only four teams left. There’s going to be a lot of outside noise. Keep it simple – where you’re supposed to be, play hard, and the rest will take care of itself.”

As many have experienced, trips to the conference championship don’t always happen often or lead to a Super Bowl berth.

This season marks Moses’ 12th NFL season. He’s been to a conference championship once, during the 2023 season, and his Baltimore Ravens lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. Landry has played in one conference championship during the 2019 season with the Tennessee Titans .

That team, led by Vrabel, fell to the Chiefs.

For many, this game is a chance at redemption.

“Can’t think about the stuff in the past or what’s in front of me. Just think about right now,” Diggs said. “I’m going to take full advantage of that. I’m going to enjoy being at work. I talk to a lot of my friends on a daily basis. They’re not blessed to be at work right now. I’m just blessed to be here.”

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