Even Stefon Diggs’ mother didn’t think he would make that catch last Sunday at Detroit.
Diggs, the rookie wide receiver, hauled in a diving 36-yard touchdown pass from Teddy Bridgewater in the third quarter to give the Vikings the lead for good in their 28-19 victory over the Lions. Soon after the game, Stephanie Diggs called him.
“She said she didn’t think I would catch it, but that it was beautiful, and it was one of the best catches I ever made,” Diggs said Wednesday. “I said, ‘Thank you, mom.’ ”
The catch has been all over sports highlight shows, but Diggs claims he hasn’t watched them. But he has tweeted out two links to the NFL Network making it the top catch of the week, one that includes a video.
“I think I’ve only seen (the replay of his catch) twice,” Bridgewater said. “I try to not to pay attention to those plays; that’s last week’s event. We’re focused on Chicago this week. Trying to get Diggs not to watch it, too. He probably posted it on his Instagram or something like that.”
Nope. Diggs hasn’t put it on Instagram.
Diggs has been one of the NFL’s biggest rookie sensations lately after caught 19 passes for 324 yards in the past three games after being inactive the first three. But he insists he hasn’t gotten caught up in all the media hype. That’s his mother’s job.
“My mom tells me about (highlights of the catch being on) all the time,” Diggs said. “She stays up on all the media stuff. She’s happy. I mean, I’m playing and getting to show the world what I can do. So she’s just happy. She wants to see me in live action soon.”
Stephanie Diggs, who lives in the family’s hometown of Gaithersburg, Md., works as a train attendant for Amtrak, serving passengers along the East Coast. She attended a game earlier this season when Diggs was inactive, and is planning to return for the Nov. 8 game against St. Louis at TCF Bank Stadium.
Diggs created plenty of commotion when he signed autographs at Caribou Coffee on Tuesday in St. Paul. However, he claims his life hasn’t changed much since he became a key receiver for the Vikings.
“I don’t go out,” he said. “I’m a homebody, so I’m always in the house. Really, I don’t really go out.”
Follow Chris Tomasson at twitter.com/christomasson.
