It wasn't an ideal start to the season for the New England Patriots, as they lost at home to the Las Vegas Raiders 20-13. Geno Smith threw for over 300 yards, and the offense looked like it still had things to iron out under new offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. New acquisition Stefon Diggs talked today about the wide receivers and what they need to do to help the offense improve going forward.
Stefon Diggs Challenges Patriots WRs to Be Better
Following the Patriots' Wednesday practice, Diggs talked with reporters and mentioned what the WRs can do so the team can improve heading into Week 2, stating, “It’s more about us… We gotta do everything in our power: details, route depth, getting open, catch the ball. The same s*** we get paid to do. That’s more of the focus.” While Diggs wasn't the Patriots' top receiver during week 1, he wasn't one of the main issues with the offense. DeMario Douglas, on the other hand, struggled on Sunday. Even though he brought in the only touchdown, he finished with negative 2 yards on the day.
Coming into the season, Douglas had a decent amount of hype given the projected leap from QB Drake Maye and McDaniels coming in as the team's OC, which has historically been favorable for slot WRs. Unlike Douglas, Kayshon Boutte rose to the test during Week 1, and if he can keep up the play, then that would be huge for the Patriots, given the lack of depth at the position they've had in the past. If Douglas continues to struggle, the team could look at rookies, Kyle Williams or Efton Chism, to get another spark in the room.
In Week 1, Williams registered one catch for 12 yards, though he only played on seven of the 71 offensive snaps. Chism, on the other hand, was a healthy scratch and didn't play after his stellar preseason. Week 2 could be a good opportunity for the young players to make some noise.
While some fans might be upset with the comments Diggs made, if the offense wants to improve, the WRs need to be consistently better. No WR can take a game off and expect the offense to still flow the same because the Pats still lack that true offensive threat that most competitive teams have. If the WR room can collectively work well together as a unit, then the Pats offense will be better off.
Going into Week 2, the other WRs need to listen to what Diggs said since, by making plays, they can help open up the run game, which was an even bigger letdown in the opener. If the team wants the best chance of winning, they need to effectively run the ball, and one way to make it easier is for the WRs to be legit threats that the defense has to prepare for. The Patriots play the first division game of the season in Week 2 when they travel to take on the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Sept. 14.