Stefon Diggs’ explains Patriots’ new rallying cry: ‘No new macaroni’

New England Patriots

“You didn’t have a mindset that you wanted to win last week? Or the week before that? Or throughout the season?”

FOXBOROUGH — Beyond his role as Drake Maye’s go-to target, Patriots veteran receiver Stefon Diggs has been credited for drumming up a few unifying slogans and rallying cries amid New England’s turnaround season. 

“We all we got, we all we need” has often been preached by Diggs throughout the Patriots’ resurgent campaign that now has New England set to host a playoff game on Sunday night against the Los Angeles Chargers. 

But, as New England braces for its first playoff game at Gillette Stadium since the 2019 season, a new mantra is being reinforced in the Patriots’ locker room — one that was cooked up during the holiday season. 

“We have this little saying, ‘Don’t switch the macaroni and cheese,’” Diggs said on Sunday after New England’s regular-season finale, adding: “The analogy came from somebody on Thanksgiving. They came to their family gathering and they made new mac and cheese. They said, ‘don’t trial and error on our day.’ So, same recipe. Don’t change the mac and cheese.”

That message is resonating more than ever this week as a Patriots team filled with younger players braces for playoff football.

Despite the elevated stakes, Diggs stressed that the best way for New England to sustain success and keep their season alive revolves around not changing up their formula (or recipe?) and staying the course as they prepare for Sunday’s game against the Chargers. 

“You don’t try to go and make new macaroni, as I referenced last week,” Diggs said Wednesday at Gillette Stadium. “I’m not going in with new macaroni. We’re just going in with that same thought process and just trying to tighten up a little bit far as putting a little bit of extra time on your body, or putting a little bit of extra time on film, whatever it is that’s going to help you get an edge.”

Diggs is no stranger to the postseason, with the 32-year-old wideout appearing in 14 total playoff games across seven campaigns with the Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills. Over that stretch, Diggs has reeled in 69 catches for 909 yards and four touchdowns. 

But be it Maye, Christian Gonzalez, or several other key cogs on New England’s roster, there are several unproven players who are set to play in their first playoff game on Sunday against Los Angeles. 

Nerves aside, Diggs stressed that players like Maye can’t adjust their approach during the build-up to Sunday’s matchup. 

“No new macaroni,” Diggs reiterated about Maye’s postseason debut on Sunday. “I expect to see the same player, if not him doing more. … You didn’t have a mindset that you wanted to win last week? Or the week before that? Or throughout the season? … Were you trying to win your individual rep, or were you preparing the right way? So that’s why I say, like, no new macaroni and cheese with me.

“I’m excited for Drake — another stage for him to shine. He’s a good quarterback. He’s been a good quarterback. He’s an MVP talent — the MVP in my opinion.” 

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.