On paper, this should be a confident week for the New England Patriots. The Pittsburgh defense is giving up nearly 394.5 yards a game, and history is practically a Patriots fan since 2000; they’re 14-4 against the Steelers. But Stefon Diggs isn’t reading the paper. He’s been in this league long enough to know better.

It’s precisely why he issued a warning to his own locker room. “I look forward to going out there this week as well,” Diggs said Wednesday. “They got a lot of players over there that can fly around.” He paused, letting the weight of history fill the room. “I don’t wanna single anybody out, but that Steelers defense, you know what it’s known for. Gotta buckle up.” Diggs knows this firsthand. He’s been in the league since 2015 and has tangoed with this defense five times.

The last time, in 2022, he caught 8 catches for 102 yards and a touchdown on them. Back in 2020, during his first season with Buffalo, he absolutely torched the Steelers’ secondary, putting up a monstrous stat line that included 10 receptions for 130 yards. Yet, he knows the physical toll they can exact, even on their off days.

And he knows that across from him will likely stand Jalen Ramsey, a “hell of a player” who Diggs acknowledges is “very smart, distinctive, aggressive.” This is no hollow praise for a 7-time Pro Bowler and 3-time First-Team All-Pro with 25 career interceptions, 543 tackles, and 112 passes defended. Apart from making one of the most important plays in Week 1, he also recorded his first interception with the team in Week 2.

This is the Steelers‘ identity. It’s in their DNA. And Diggs knows DNA doesn’t just change in two weeks. But this Patriots team isn’t just heeding a veteran’s warning; they’re riding a new wave of energy emanating from their sophomore quarterback.

Stephon Diggs will have a transformed Drake Maye feeding him

Drake Maye’s transformation from promising rookie to commanding leader is the subplot fueling optimism in Foxborough. His stellar Week 2 performance was a cool 19-of-23 for 230 yards and 2 TDs, plus a rushing score. The physical tools were always there, but the voice? That’s new.

It’s a stark contrast to the situation in Pittsburgh, where Aaron Rodgers’s arm looks remarkably strong, but DK Metcalf is struggling to hang onto his throws, a reminder that execution is everything.

This change hasn’t gone unnoticed by the team’s defensive star, Christian Gonzalez. “I feel like he’s really made that leadership change,” Gonzalez revealed on Good Morning Football. “I feel like he’s speaking a lot more, talking up, using his voice more. We all appreciate it.”

This newfound vocal command is the intangible that stats can’t capture, but wins are built upon. Gonzalez pinpointed the engine driving this evolution: “The best thing for him is he always wants to get better. He’s never satisfied. So I feel that’s going to take him a long way.”

So here stand the Vrabel’s Patriots, at a fascinating crossroads (where there’s trouble mounting as well). They have a battle-hardened star in Diggs, who commands respect and preaches preparedness against a wounded but eternally dangerous beast. And they have a young quarterback in Maye, who is rapidly learning to use his voice to command the huddle and, perhaps, the game.

So yeah, Sunday’s shaping up to be one of those classic NFL tests. Do you trust history, or do you respect the pride? Do you lean on the numbers, or do you prepare for the storm you know is coming?