{"id":708722,"date":"2026-01-27T10:53:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T10:53:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/708722\/"},"modified":"2026-01-27T10:53:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T10:53:19","slug":"steelers-catch-stray-from-patriots-wr-after-afc-championship-win-nobody-believed-in-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/708722\/","title":{"rendered":"Steelers Catch Stray From Patriots WR After AFC Championship Win: ‘Nobody Believed In Us’"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pittsburgh Steelers set the record for most Super Bowl wins by a franchise when they beat the Arizona Cardinals for their sixth championship. However, the New England Patriots tied that record, and now they have a chance to break it.<\/a> The Patriots punched their ticket to the Super Bowl by beating the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game. The Steelers actually beat the Patriots earlier in the season, and because of that, they caught a stray shot from Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs following New England\u2019s win over Denver.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe lost to the Steelers, and we lost a couple of those games early,\u201d Diggs said via NBC10\u2019s Kevin Moore on Twitter.<\/a> \u201cIt was easy to count us out. Nobody believed in us, let alone like us.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur coach [Mike Vrabel] believed in us, he helped us build this identity that he speaks of. He held everybody to the same standard, something I\u2019m super thankful for. Hopefully, he wins Coach of the Year because probably the best coach I\u2019ve ever had.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stefon Diggs on Mike Vrabel’s leadership:<\/p>\n

“We lost to the Steelers and nobody believed in us, let alone like us. Our coach believed in us, he helped us build this identity\u2026hopefully he wins coach of the year, he\u2019s probably the best coach I ever had.” pic.twitter.com\/BjolwzymuG<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Kevin Moore (@KMooreTV) January 26, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The 1-1 Steelers faced the 1-1 Patriots in Week 3, and it was an ugly game for New England. While the Patriots had plenty of opportunities to beat the visiting Steelers, they kept getting in their own way. That included fumbling four times,<\/a> with several of those turnovers coming in the red zone.<\/p>\n

The Patriots kept the game close, but the Steelers ultimately won, 21-14. That dropped the Patriots to 1-2, and it was unclear how good they could actually be. It sounds like Diggs views that as a low point in the season, perhaps hinting that his opinion of the Steelers isn\u2019t very high.<\/p>\n

However, that wasn\u2019t even the Patriots\u2019 worst loss early in the season. They opened the year losing 20-13 to the Las Vegas Raiders. That was one of the few bright spots of the Raiders\u2019 season. They went on to be the worst team in the league, earning the first overall pick in the draft. In hindsight, losing to the Steelers isn\u2019t that bad in comparison.<\/p>\n

The Patriots didn\u2019t look like a Super Bowl team during the first month of the season, either. The Steelers were the better team in Week 3. However, head coach Mike Vrabel made sure his team didn\u2019t blink. The Patriots won their next 10 games following their loss to the Steelers. In fact, they\u2019ve only lost one other game since then.<\/p>\n

It sounds like the Patriots used all the outside noise after their loss to the Steelers to fuel them. To be fair, there were reasons for optimism, despite the Patriots\u2019 loss. Even though they kept turning the ball over, they still almost beat Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n

Now, the Patriots have a chance to capture their seventh Super Bowl. They routinely stood in the Steelers\u2019 way when they were Super Bowl competitors. While Pittsburgh got the win over New England this year, the Patriots could get the last laugh.<\/a><\/p>\n