FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — On Sunday evening, Stefon Diggs entered the New England Patriots auditorium and stepped up to the podium with an energetic hop.

“Everyone looks so comfortable,” he said, greeting the media with a smile.

The Patriots had just cruised to a 42-13 victory over the Carolina Panthers, in which the wide receiver, too, looked comfortable. For the first time in 22 games, he crossed the 100-receiving yard threshold. He called it a “turn the corner” day.

“I’m just super excited and want to keep building,” Diggs said.

When the Patriots signed the four-time Pro Bowler to a three-year, $69 million contract in March, there were many uncertainties.

It was unknown if Diggs, who sustained a torn right ACL last October, would be ready for the start of the 2025 regular season. If he was, there was no guarantee he could once again deliver as a No. 1 receiver in his 11th NFL season. Or how he would fit into the new Patriots regime led by coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

Those questions percolated in the spring when Diggs was in and out of the team’s voluntary workout program which had an otherwise high attendance rate. He made headlines by appearing in a video on a boat that went viral, forcing Vrabel to address it.

Behind the scenes, though, Diggs was working hard to rehab his ACL injury in Florida and to get back on the field as quickly as possible. He was ready by training camp, with his personal athletic trainer calling it a “historically fast” recovery.

Now four weeks into the 2025 season, Diggs, 31, is emerging as an ideal fit with the Patriots.

“Putting in that time, putting in that grind throughout camp, I feel like you don’t know what it’s going to be like until the season is here. That’s when the pedal hits the metal and you get your confidence from growing within the system and getting used to a system and a quarterback — and all these things are brand new to me,” Diggs said Sunday.

“My focus has always been grinding and I’m going to figure it out. I’m probably going to work a little harder now, because when things are going right, you can’t relax and get complacent.”

Diggs now has momentum heading into a game he said he has been looking forward to, returning to face his former team, the Buffalo Bills, on Sunday at Highmark Stadium (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC) — a contest marking the first time Diggs will play in Western New York, where he was once quarterback Josh Allen’s go-to target, since the Bills traded him to the Houston Texans in April 2024.

The 2015 fifth-round pick ranks sixth in receiving yards (10,704) and touchdowns (70) since entering the NFL a decade ago.

While his on-field performances continue to evolve with the Patriots, Diggs has also emerged as a leader in the locker room. Since joining the team, Diggs has inspired teammates with pregame speeches. He has also developed a rapport with second-year quarterback Drake Maye, similar to what he did with Allen (then in his third season) when the Bills acquired him from the Minnesota Vikings in 2020.

“[Diggs is] a great teammate. I think that’s the biggest thing,” Maye said. “He’s fire on game day. You see him even in practice, he wants to bring it. He thinks a lot of the guys around him. He wants to be a great teammate, he wants to bring the energy, and he wants the ball.”

WHEN DIGGS SPRINTED onto the field before kickoff of the 2025 season opener, he made his way to the back left pylon of the far end zone, dropping to his knee to reflect. There was a lot going through his mind before his first game back after the injury.

“I took a little moment to be grateful and kind of bask in the ambiance of where I was, back doing what I love,” he explained.

Scene-setter: Stefon Diggs takes a moment of reflection at the back pylon upon taking the field.

Long road back from injury.

Diggs then got up and pumped his arm in excitement. pic.twitter.com/XPyi2Ldbea

— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) September 7, 2025

His torn ACL, his first major injury in the NFL, had challenged him in ways he never had been before. He acknowledged it was one of the hardest things he has ever experienced.

“I was in, like, a real, real dark space for a little while. I had to pull myself out of it. I still kind of go through it here and there,” he said. “Probably just because where I’m at in my career right now, it was rough for me. I went through a lot in the offseason.”

Diggs credits his rehab with Dr. Sharif Tabbah, of Florida-based Alkemē Sports Rx, for getting him back on the field quickly. The typical timeframe for receivers recovering from a torn ACL is 9-12 months, according to Tabbah. Diggs passed his physical with the Patriots July 19, just 8½ months after tearing his ACL, which Vrabel noted was a credit to how hard Diggs worked.

Tabbah, who trains NFL receivers Jerry Jeudy (Cleveland Browns), CeeDee Lamb (Dallas Cowboys) and Rashee Rice (Kansas City Chiefs), among others, recalled seeing a social media post from Diggs immediately after surgery in which he was in a hospital bed with his head in his hands.

“Anyone could tell from the post he was going through it mentally, as many athletes do, especially when they haven’t had a major injury in their careers,” Tabbah said. “I kind of teased him and said, ‘Man, you look like your life is over in these photos. Don’t worry. We’re going to bounce back. My goal for you is not to get back to 100%. It’s to get you to 110%. I want you leaving here better than before the injury.'”

There was standard early progress in the rehab work, with Diggs’ dedication reflected in bringing Tabbah to New York with him when plans called for him to be away from Florida. Then Tabbah said Diggs’ recovery took off about four months in, when physical testing numbers indicated he could begin to work on cutting.

“As we started doing that, and he was doing so well so quickly, that’s when it started to get really impressive,” Tabbah said. “We were doing top-of-the-route stuff at four and half, five months, which is crazy. It was clean and smooth.”

Among the methods Tabbah integrated into Diggs’ rehab included traditional manual therapy, special electrical stimulation machines to help recruit more muscle fibers to get his strength back faster, an anti-gravity treadmill to progress to running and pool work for jumping, cutting and running. That all led up to Diggs returning to the field and focusing on football-type movements and footwork.

Along the way, Diggs also leaned on teammates and others around him, such as his girlfriend Cardi B, who recently announced they are expecting a child.

“Coming off injury isn’t easy, but when you’re around the right guys it makes it easier,” he said to reporters earlier this season.

“My life could be a lot worse,” Diggs added. “I’m blessed. I have a lot to look forward to each day. I have some beautiful kids. Got a beautiful support system. My life ain’t that hard. There are a lot of people in the world who go through way worse things on a daily basis. Just roll with the punches, know what I’m saying?”

The Patriots were cautious with Diggs in the preseason, holding him out of games, and sometimes limiting his practice reps. So taking hits was on Diggs’ mind entering the 2025 season. After a 20-13 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1, Diggs said he sought out contact to help him take the next step in his return.

After the team’s Week 2 win over the Dolphins in South Florida, in which Tabbah attended as Diggs’ guest, the two connected to evaluate how the knee responded to increased demand and the load of the season. Tabbah was once again encouraged by what he saw and heard from Diggs.

They then gave the knee manual therapy and recovery work, followed by activation and corrective exercises, as well as balance drills.

“It was a tuneup, a check-in on how everything looked, and he looked great. I was pleased to see how well he continues to hold up despite such a historically fast return,” Tabbah said. “He had maintained everything we worked on and was very confident. He told me he hasn’t thought about his knee in any way on the field.”

Diggs echoed those thoughts to reporters soon after.

“I feel great,” he said in the Patriots’ locker room. “I’m trying to stay feeling great. Now it’s turning a key and being out there consistently, it’s getting back to the feel of the game.”

AGAINST THE PITTSBURGH Steelers in Week 3, Diggs made a play that Vrabel loved.

Running a shallow route across the middle, Diggs tied up two defenders, which allowed running back Rhamondre Stevenson to catch a short pass and run 23 yards. Vrabel pointed out Diggs had a similar play the week before that wasn’t executed, so it showed his progress and also unselfishness.

For Diggs, this is what he has consistently referred to this season as “eating what’s on my plate.”

“Whatever they give you, take it, handle it with grace, and continue to push teammates,” he explained. “That’s where I am at this point [in my career].

“I’m here for whatever they need. I’ve been doing this for a long time, I’m a veteran, I’m healthy. Shout out to God. I’m not going to bite off more than I can chew, or I’m not going to ask [for] anything. I’m just going to handle what’s in front of me.”

Through four games, Diggs has been on the field for 55.5% of the offensive snaps, the third most among receivers behind Kayshon Boutte (75.2%) and Mack Hollins (57.9%). He ranks first on the team in receptions (19) and receiving yards (213) and is looking for his first touchdown.

Vrabel left open the possibility that Diggs’ playing time increases, noting that some of it is tied to what packages have been utilized most (e.g. more two tight ends) and “trying to find a role for each and every [receiver].”

Meanwhile, Diggs insists his sole focus is on maximizing whatever he does get.

“Comparison is the thief of joy. I can’t really think about what’s going on around me. I’ll be cheering for my guys — always clap for everybody around me, I pretty much always have been that way,” he said. “Even if you do want more, whatever is on your plate, you have to eat it. But I never want to fall into the trap of focusing on something else and not eating the food in front of me. I want to make sure I scrape the plate. Leave no crumbs.”

Such an approach has positioned Diggs as a commanding presence within the team, even though he isn’t one of the team’s six captains.

“One of the cool things is watching his maturity as a leader and hearing him kind of be a champion of the cause for coach Vrabel, coach McDaniels and myself,” said wide receivers coach Todd Downing, who was on the Vikings’ coaching staff in 2018 when Diggs was in his fourth NFL season. “If there is something that we emphasize, he’s going to have our backs with the young guys. Or if he sees somebody on the field not doing it, he’ll hold them accountable.

“He’s always had a relentless work ethic. He’s been working diligently mentally to be able to handle everything we throw at him.”

McDaniels, whose brother Ben serves as the Texans wide receivers coach and raved about Diggs last year, noted Diggs’ intelligence in adapting to the Patriots’ system.

“He has a lot of game experience and savvy. It doesn’t take long to have a conversation with him about something you want to do, or if you have an idea or vision of how you want it to play out, and Stef can go out there and he’s following you when you’re speaking to him or we’re watching film,” Josh McDaniels said.

“[He’s] very competitive, and in the right way. His leadership is intense, but it’s the right type of intensity because he wants to win. Unselfish. He’s been a very good teammate. Love working with him. Brings an excitement to it every day.”

A win Sunday against one of Diggs’ former teams would be surprising, as the Patriots enter as 7.5-point underdogs according to ESPN BET. Nonetheless, Bills fans might be surprised at what they see from Diggs and hear from him in the days leading up to the game.

“It’s going to be a crazy atmosphere. Obviously, I spent a lot of years there. They have one of the best fan bases in the game, if not the best fan base. So, shout out to them,” Diggs said. “In the division, they say it’s one game, but it damn near counts as two. I’m excited for the challenge.”

LAS VEGAS — Call it the duel in the desert. The Las Vegas Aces and Phoenix Mercury will meet in the 2025 WNBA Finals.

The franchises, located roughly 300 miles apart, have both won multiple titles but have never met in the championship series before.

The No. 2 seed Aces outlasted the No. 6 seed Indiana Fever 107-98 in overtime Tuesday in Game 5 of their semifinal series. Now they host the Mercury on Friday in Game 1 (8 p.m. ET, ESPN). Phoenix, the No. 4 seed, eliminated the No. 1 seed Minnesota Lynx 3-1 on Sunday.

The Aces, led by four-time MVP A’ja Wilson, won WNBA titles in 2022 and 2023. The Mercury’s championships were in 2007, 2009 and 2014, all with Diana Taurasi as the team’s star. She retired after last season, and a retooled roster — led by triple-double standout Alyssa Thomas — has Phoenix back in the Finals for the first time since 2021.

The WNBA Finals will be a best-of-seven format for the first time, so this could be a history-making series. Here is a breakdown of how the teams match up.

Regular-season series: Las Vegas went 3-1 against Phoenix

June 15: Mercury 76, Aces 70 (at Las Vegas)
June 29: Aces 84, Mercury 81 (at Phoenix)
Aug. 15: Aces 86, Mercury 83 (at Phoenix)
Aug. 21: Aces 83, Mercury 61 (at Las Vegas)

How Phoenix got here

The Mercury lost Game 1 at home in the best-of-three first round and on the road in the best-of-five semifinals, so they’ve proved their mettle away from home and in elimination games.

After a 13-point loss in Game 1 of the semifinals against Minnesota, Phoenix won each of the next three games by single digits, dominating in the fourth quarter in each. In Game 2, the Mercury overcame a 20-point deficit to tie the record for largest road comeback in WNBA playoff history. The Game 3 win at home will most likely be remembered for the controversial final 22 seconds, but also featured another big Mercury finish. In Game 4, Phoenix started cold, trailing by 14 in the first quarter and by 13 entering the final frame, before pulling out the 86-81 victory.

How Las Vegas got here

Las Vegas was .500 at the All-Star break before riding a 16-game winning streak into the playoffs. That hot streak extended to 17 with a Game 1 win in the first round — but then the Aces lost three of their next six postseason games before Tuesday’s overtime win clinched a spot in the Finals. Las Vegas beat Seattle 2-1 in the best-of-three first-round series, then had to go the distance to eliminate No. 6 Indiana in the best-of-five semis.

On Tuesday, Wilson recorded her WNBA-record third career 35-point game in a series-clinching win. The four-time MVP also became the first player with 35 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in a playoff game.

What we’re hearing about the Aces

Considering their long winning streak, Las Vegas was the hottest team coming into the playoffs. But they struggled to close out both of their playoffs series so far.

They were nearly upset by No. 7 seed Seattle in the first round, pulling out a Game 3 victory 74-73. Then it took overtime in Game 5 of the semifinal for them to get past Indiana, despite the Fever being depleted by injury and foul trouble.

This is something to be concerned about going against the Mercury, who seem to be peaking in the playoffs. That said, the Aces have a great deal of WNBA Finals experience to rely upon: Both Chelsea Gray and Wilson have been Finals MVPs for the Aces. Jackie Young also has been a crucial part of Las Vegas’ past championships. Jewell Loyd won two WNBA titles when she was with Seattle.

It took about 2½ months for the Aces to figure themselves out this season. Once they did, they were formidable the rest of the regular season. They now have a few days before the Finals to get a handle on where they’ve fallen short in the playoffs despite advancing, because they can’t have the same kind of lapses against Phoenix. — Michael Voepel

play

Phoenix Mercury reach Finals after taking down Minnesota Lynx

The Phoenix Mercury come from behind to beat the Minnesota Lynx in Game 4 to reach the WNBA Finals.

What we’re hearing about the Mercury

Rebuilds usually take years to be successful, but in their first season without Taurasi and Brittney Griner, the franchise’s two former cornerstones, the Mercury are headed back to the Finals for the first time since 2021.

Embracing an underdog mentality has fueled the Mercury throughout the season. Phoenix returned just two players from 2024 — Kahleah Copper and Natasha Mack — and is the fifth team in league history to lose at least 70% of its scoring from the previous season (71.3%), according to ESPN Insights. The other four teams all had losing records the following season.

With two of their big three — Copper and Satou Sabally — missing extended time in the regular season because of injury, Phoenix wasn’t fully healthy until late July. At the start of August, Sabally told ESPN she felt her team was playing at 80% of its capability. The Mercury hoped that through the last month of the regular season they’d meld all of their pieces together. They did.

Their rookies — Kathryn Westbeld, Sami Whitcomb and Monique Akoa Makani — were revelations. The addition of DeWanna Bonner in early July provided their bench with needed experience. And their big three have thrived together.

They were underdogs again as they entered the postseason, facing defending champion New York in the first round and this year’s title favorite, Minnesota, in the semifinals. The Mercury are the fourth team in WNBA history to eliminate both teams that participated in the previous year’s Finals within a single postseason. — Kendra Andrews

What is this series’ X factor?

The team whose big three plays the best will win the title.

So often in championship games or series, we look for one unsung hero, one seemingly unforeseen moment that will decide the outcome. This series won’t be that complicated or unpredictable. It will come down to the performances of Wilson, Young and Gray for the Aces and Thomas, Sabally and Copper for the Mercury. Sure, there might be a big Sami Whitcomb 3-pointer, or a stretch where Dana Evans supplies the Aces some extra energy — but this is about the stars.

Their impact was on display in both Las Vegas’ and Phoenix’s semifinal close-out games. Wilson (35), Young (32) and Gray (17) combined for 84 of the Aces’ 107 points; Thomas (23), Sabally (21) and Copper (13) were the Mercury’s three leading scorers in their comeback win over Minnesota in Game 4. The advantage will go to the trio that separates itself, even if it’s by a small margin.

Throw out the first time these teams met in the regular season (a Mercury win) because Wilson did not play. In the final three meetings, the MVP was the best player on the floor, averaging 25.0 points. Young scored in double digits in each of those games and Gray had at least nine. Conversely, in one Phoenix loss, Sabally had just 10 points on 3-of-14 shooting. In the most recent matchup, Copper had just six points. Las Vegas won all three of those games. The Aces will win their third title in four years if that recent history repeats itself. — Charlie Creme

How big is Phoenix’s rest advantage after Las Vegas had to go to overtime to win Game 5 on Tuesday?

I don’t think it will be much of a factor. Las Vegas will still get two full days off without any travel. While the Aces will sleep well after going the distance against the Fever, they will be doing it in their own beds. Even with the extra two days to prep, the Mercury still had to wait to find out their opponent. The rest might help a little, but 48 more hours at this time of year probably means little. Adrenaline is overcoming any fatigue for most of these players, and both teams have all their regular rotations fully healthy heading into the best-of-seven series. — Creme

How they match up

While only two players returned from last season’s Mercury team (Copper and Mack), the Aces have six players back from last season, and five of them — Wilson, Gray, Young, Kiah Stokes and Kierstan Bell — were also on Las Vegas’ 2022 and 2023 title teams.

During the regular season, the Aces and Mercury were close to each other in categories such as scoring average (83.6 and 82.8), net rating (plus-3.7 and plus-3.4) and effective field goal percentage (50.6 and 50.2). Same for 3-pointers per game, although the Mercury had the slight edge there with 9.4 to the Aces’ 9.1.

There was a little more separation with defensive rating, as the Mercury were at 102.5 and the Aces 104.4. In the past, the Aces have been a better defensive team than they have been this year, but Las Vegas has improved in that area since its season turnaround began in early August.

As for the teams’ two biggest stars, Wilson and Thomas have faced off 26 times in their WNBA careers, counting both regular season and playoffs. Wilson has a 17-9 edge overall, 6-3 in the playoffs. Wilson has averaged 21.0 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in those playoff matchups against Thomas, who has averaged 15.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists.

The teams’ coaches, Las Vegas’ Becky Hammon and Phoenix’s Nate Tibbetts, both spent several years as NBA assistants before taking over as WNBA head coaches. Hammon was a San Antonio Spurs assistant from 2014-2022, and Tibbetts was an assistant from 2011-2023 with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers and Orlando Magic. — Voepel

The Virginia Tech board of visitors overwhelmingly approved a plan to add $229 million to its athletics budget over the next four years.

The decision moves Virginia Tech among the top of its ACC peers in funding, at a time when the Hokies are searching for a new head football coach to replace Brent Pry, who was fired earlier this month.

School president Tim Sands said the decision “unlocks the door to future success.”

“We have the opportunity to reset the organization to align with the new realities at the conference and national levels. It’s never been clearer that the future of Hokie athletics will depend on the institutional commitments to compete in partnership with our alumni and supporters. Today, we are stepping up to compete, and we ask our loyal fans and generous donors to step forward with us.”

The decision will add $47.1 million to the budget in the current fiscal year, bringing the total athletics department budget to $190.1 million. That number would increase to $212.1 million for 2029-30.

Sands also announced he will be appointing an athletics investment oversight committee to monitor spending to “ensure that funds are spent wisely.”