What is going on with Stefon Diggs so far this season?
By Luke Parrish
Week 4 – Chicago Bears
The Bears did an excellent job of bracketing Stefon Diggs early in their matchup with the Vikings. Their goal appeared to be to limit his presence in the passing game and force Kirk Cousins to play short, which he did.
First Quarter
Diggs caught a pass on the first possession of the game, good for seven yards. Minnesota stalled on their opening drive and Chicago’s offense held the ball for the rest of the quarter. Diggs had one catch on one target in the period.
Second Quarter
On the first drive of the second quarter, Cousins unsurprisingly overlooked a wide-open Diggs. The Vikings receiver was open on a corner route with no defender within eight yards, however, Cousins dumped the ball off to C.J. Ham instead.
The same drive saw Diggs catch a pass and fumble it, giving the Bears the ball. The fumble call was questionable, but Diggs has to hang on regardless. On the bright side, at least Minnesota moved the ball on this drive.
Third Quarter
The Bears started to get consistent pressure on Cousins in the backfield in the third quarter and he hardly had any time to throw. However, there was a play that saw Diggs get open down the left sideline for a big gain, but Cousins double-clutched and allowed the defense to get the sack.
With the Vikings on their last leg, they finally started throwing to Diggs. Oh, and guess what? It worked. Diggs grabbed a 14-yard comeback to set up a fourth-down conversion on the next play, a 39-yard fade down the right sideline.
Fourth Quarter
Finally, down 16-0, Cousins was setting his focus on Diggs. He caught three passes for 28 yards on Minnesota’s only scoring drive of the game. Diggs finished the game with seven catches on as many targets. Things got out of hand, but the Vikings receiver was the key to the offense moving the ball in Chicago.