Stefon Diggs sends strong message to Josh McDaniels he can't continue to ignore

Since Julian Edelman retired after the 2020 season, the Patriots have struggled to find their next top receiver option, and the offense has not fared well because of it. Despite their attempts in recent years to pull off a blockbuster trade or coax a superstar to sign with the team, nothing worked, which immediately gave Mike Vrabel his first task to accomplish as the new head coach.

Although it took a bit longer than expected, they finally signed Stefon Diggs in free agency, which wasn't initially well-received, given his age and the fact that he was coming off an ACL injury. But once he returned to his usual self at practice and eventually during the regular season, it was clear that the right decision had been made.

In his first season in New England so far, Diggs has recorded 76 receptions for 869 yards and three touchdowns. His slow start eventually became a thing of the past when he recorded back-to-back 100+-yard games, but his production has slowed in the past month.

It was crucial that changed over the last three weeks of the season, and he accomplished that in primetime against the Ravens on Sunday night. And apparently, that's all the Patriots needed, which sends a strong message to their future AFC opponents just weeks before the playoffs begin.

The Patriots just got another clear sign that they need to incorporate Stefon Diggs way more

Despite not dealing with any lingering injuries, Diggs saw a decline in his snap counts over the past month, and reporters didn't get much of an explanation about it from Josh McDaniels either.

Hopefully, it won't continue to be a problem moving forward, especially since Diggs comes alive most in primetime. And considering the playoffs can be played in primetime, that could be a disastrous recipe for the Patriots' future opponents.

The three biggest games of their season, since they were seen by all NFL fans, have been the most productive of Diggs' Patriots career thus far.

Although they certainly could have used him more in other games, like Week 15 against the Bills, the veteran is certainly ready to go when the stakes are the highest, and has proven beyond any doubt that he was the right player for Vrabel to sign to help elevate Drake Maye this year.

Now that the postseason is right around the corner, however, it's essential that McDaniels better integrate Diggs into the weekly game plan, and we don't just see him become more involved in primetime games.

They don't have a say in when their playoff games are scheduled, so primetime Diggs can't only happen in just primetime games because the offense will need him far more.