Throughout the Patriots' 10-game win streak, it was clear that they had figured out the formula to be a competitive team much earlier than anyone anticipated, and a big reason for that was the developing relationship between OC Josh McDaniels and QB Drake Maye.
We saw the rise of rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson, who looks like he might have stolen the starting job already, the growing importance of Hunter Henry on the field, and the benefits of signing Stefon Diggs, despite every other team in the league not wanting to take the risk.
The veteran receiver proved he hadn't missed a beat since recovering from his ACL injury, and put together back-to-back 100-yard games midseason, and recorded another in Week 11 against the Jets. But his snap counts have rapidly decreased over the past month, prompting questions about his health and McDaniels' decision-making.
Because of that and the team's offensive mistakes last week, the offense needs to include Diggs more in this week's game plan, and the Ravens are the perfect opponents to do that against.
The Patriots need to unleash Stefon Diggs again this week, or risk another questionable offensive showing
Despite his impressive performance against the Bills in Week 5, recording 10 receptions for 146 yards, McDaniels didn't make Diggs a focus of the offense in last week's rematch. Part of that can be blamed on the defense double-covering him, but that shouldn't have eliminated him from the entirety of the game.
That can't be a mistake they make again this week, especially since the Ravens have a weak secondary, as Mark Daniels of MassLive pointed out.
This is a game to take advantage of that and utilize Diggs as much as possible, particularly with a questionable defense going against players like QB Lamar Jackson and RB Derrick Henry.
"The Ravens play one of the highest percentages of man coverage in the NFL. Their man rate of 31.6% is the fourth highest in the league. As mentioned above, their secondary is statistically one of the worst, allowing 233.3 passing yards per game. That’s why the Patriots receivers should win this matchup on Sunday."
Diggs will be a nightmare matchup for a struggling secondary group, making it even more important for McDaniels to have plenty of plays drawn up to use him as much as possible.
It also creates an opportunity to utilize DeMario Douglas in some capacity, as he has been like a secret weapon for the Patriots' offense, and they'll surely need that on Sunday night.
They'll need to pull out all the stops to get the job done, even if Baltimore's secondary is not as tough as Buffalo's was last week, and will be even more so if the defense struggles to slow down Jackson and Henry. Drake Maye might need to put them on his back to get the win, and a guy like Diggs is the one to call upon to accomplish that.