They looked inseparable. Their skills, coupled together, made them look unstoppable on the football field. They seemed destined to win championships together with the Bills.
And then, suddenly, they were separated.
If Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs weren’t the top quarterback-receiver tandem in the NFL for the past four seasons, they were damn close to the best.
From 2020 through last season, Diggs averaged 111 receptions for 1,343 yards and nine touchdowns. Allen averaged 34 touchdown passes and 4,385 yards during that stretch.
Now, on Sunday in Houston, Allen and Diggs, who’s signed a four-year contract extension with Buffalo in 2022 that was supposed to keep him in there through the 2027 season, will be on opposite sides of the field when Allen’s Bills play Diggs’ new team, the Texans, who traded for him in April.
Both the Bills and Texans are 3-1 and seemingly going places, thanks to their respective quarterbacks — Allen for Buffalo and C.J. Stroud for Houston.
Though Allen has been a consistent force for the Bills, Diggs’ time in Buffalo was sometimes fiery, as he became frustrated at times with his role and the team’s inability to get to a Super Bowl.
Diggs sometimes painted himself as a selfish player through some of his actions. Eventually, before this season, he made it clear he wanted out of Buffalo, as crazy as that sounds. So, with the Bills seemingly having had enough if the drama, they acquired a 2025 second-round pick for him in April.
Diggs was at his selfish worst during a 2022 playoff loss to the Chiefs, yelling at Allen on the sideline and later bolting from the locker room before head coach Sean McDermott had a chance to speak to the team after the loss.
Last week there was a bit of controversy stirred when Allen, while praising his current teammates said this after Buffalo’s 47-10 win over Jacksonville: “It’s amazing when you’ve got guys who are just about the team, not the stats.”
Those remarks, which Allen said were intended to compliment his current receiving corps, including new top target Khalil Shakir, were immediately thought to be a shot at Diggs.
Allen went damage control this week and made it clear he has no ill will toward Diggs.
“People are trying to make this something it’s not,’’ Allen said. “I’m not here to take shots at anyone, least of all Stefon. I still have love for 14 [Diggs’ jersey number in Buffalo], that hasn’t changed.”
Interestingly, Allen’s numbers so far this season are better on average than they were with Diggs. From 2020-23, Allen had a 65.5 percent completion rate, averaged 7.4 yards per attempt and had a quarterback rating of 96.9. Through four games this season, those numbers are 69.3 percent, 8.1 and 116.5.
For his part, Diggs did his best to diffuse any talk of a first between him and Allen and the Bills, saying he planned to “block out the noise.”
“It’s easy to get a bad rap,” Diggs told reporters. “Word travels fast, but when you get to a place and people get to know you, they kind of get to gauge you for their own personal and their interaction with you. And things usually turn the corner when I get somewhere else. There’s usually smiles and a lot of positive stuff. I just take it with a grain of salt. I got big shoulders.
“A lot of other people are going to feel a way or have a lot to say about X, Y, Z, and I don’t mind. I’m not mad at it. Just trying to go 1-0. Obviously, they’re a good team. They have a lot of guys that can fly around on the defense. … So, I look forward to it.’’
Diggs is having a strong season in his first year with Houston, second on the team with 25 receptions for 233 yards, two receiving TDs and a one rushing score.
Diggs complements Texans top receiver Nico Collins, who leads the NFL with 489 receiving yards after catching a career-high 12 passes for 151 yards and a TD last week against the Jaguars.
Collins has at least 80 yards receiving in six consecutive games dating back to last season, which is the NFL’s longest active streak.
The Bills enter the game with some issues, having been manhandled by the Ravens on Monday night and now without edge rusher Von Miller, who was handed a four-game suspension this week for violating the NFL’s conduct policy.
Stroud has 10 TD passes and no interceptions in his past six home starts, including the playoffs.
The Buffalo defense allowed an alarming 271 rushing yards to Baltimore.
“Failure is the best thing that can teach you,” Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich told reporters during the week. “I think success is an awful teacher. Part of the message [this week] was, ‘Hey, learn from our mistakes, move on, get better, and get ready for Houston.’ ”