FOXBOROUGH – Stefon Diggs has made pre-game speeches to his Patriots teammates all season long.

On Sunday night, the veteran receiver had a special message:

“Ain’t nobody liked us! Ain’t nobody believed in us! I like us, man! Go lay it on the line for your brother!”

The message resonated with his teammates before, during, and after their wild-card win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

Coming off back-to-back four-win seasons, the Patriots weren’t the favorites to start this season. The oddsmakers predicted improvement, with the team’s over/under set at 8.5 wins, but no one expected this – a 14-3 regular season, AFC East title, and a playoff win at home.

As Mike Vrabel’s team started to win, they heard the noise and the naysayers. Diggs said doubt fueled this Patriots team.

“I don’t think nobody really liked us. Nobody, well, believed in us,” Diggs said. “We were a young team. We got a young quarterback, and throughout the season, we just grew. We grew together. And as we’ve had this success, everybody’s been humbled, everybody’s been unselfish, and everybody just wants to win.”

Sunday night’s game wasn’t perfect.

The Patriots’ offense labored through this 16-3 victory. They lost the turnover battle, 2-1. Drake Maye (17/29 for 268 yards) threw one crucial touchdown but also had an interception and two fumbles (one recovered by the Patriots). The run game was efficient, but the pass game wasn’t what Patriots fans had grown accustomed to.

On this night, it didn’t matter.

Vrabel’s defense was dominant. The unit stymied the Chargers’ offense and then hit quarterback Justin Herbert often – and viciously. After the game, players said this win encapsulated the Patriots’ bond.

“We play team football all the time,” cornerback Carlton Davis said. “Whether our offense is up or down, we’re going to have their back. They’re going to do the same for us. We know that. As long as we trust each other, play complementary football, we’ll be good.”

“We’re relentless,” added running back Rhamondre Stevenson. “We’re going to fight together, no matter if it’s a good play or a bad play. (If we’re) going through some ups and downs and things like that, we’re going to fight together and see what happens at the end of the game.”

Players also noted that this matchup proved critics wrong.

The Patriots finished this season tied for the best record in the NFL. However, detractors pointed to their strength of schedule (.391) as a reason not to believe in this team. When it comes to the MVP conversation, people also point to the team’s strength of schedule as a reason Drake Maye shouldn’t get the honor.

This season, the Chargers beat the Kansas City Chiefs twice (once with Patrick Mahomes), the Denver Broncos, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Philadelphia Eagles. They came into Gillette Stadium with more wins against playoff opponents and a better strength of schedule (.469).

They left with a loss.

“You hear everybody saying, strength of schedule, this, that, Drake’s not the MVP, a whole bunch of stuff and narratives,” safety Jaylinn Hawkins said. “It’s like, ‘OK, you can all say that, but the proof is in the pudding.’”

“We’re coming off a 4-win season,” edge rusher Anfernee Jennings added. “I don’t think a lot of people believed in us. From Day 1, we believed in us. We put the work in, creating our identity and belief that we could do what we set out to do.”

Throughout this season, the Patriots have had a close bond. Players have often talked about how much they care for one another. That starts at the top with Vrabel and his messaging.

The Patriots coach worked hard to instill a new culture once he got to New England. It’s one where players root for one another and pick up their teammates.

Adversity hits every team in the NFL. The best ones can overcome it.

That happened plenty during the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick era. That type of dynastic success may never happen again in this region. However, this season, Vrabel’s Patriots are making things interesting.

On Sunday, the Patriots won their first playoff game since the 2018 season. That year ended with the franchise’s last Super Bowl championship.

It would be a surprise to many if this year’s run ended the same way. At least to those outside Gillette Stadium.

“Why I said it (pregame) is because it’s the truth,” Diggs said. “Nobody liked us but us. And I love us. I like us a lot. I tell them every time you continue to grow and become that team, that we believe.

“(Expletive), they’ll start liking us eventually. By that time, it’ll be too late. I hope.”