It's like an NFL episode of "The Dating Game," because pass attempts from opposing quarterbacks continue to find Trevon Diggs very attractive. It's clear they can't stay away from him for long, and he's often in position to go home with anywhere from one to three of them as he helps lead a 2021 resurgence by the Dallas Cowboys defense. His latest date with an interception arrived on Sunday, with the Cowboys losing 21-20 to the New England Patriots with only two minutes and 36 seconds remaining in regulation -- picking off a pass by rookie first-round pick Mac Jones and turning it into his second pick-six of the season.
And with that, Diggs became the first player in the Super Bowl era to grab seven interceptions along with more than one pick-six through the first six games of any NFL season, and also joining a historic group of three that include Tom Landry (yes, the legendary Cowboys coach did numbers before putting on his famed fedora) as one of the only players in league history to open a season with at least one interception in each of the first six contests.
Plus, quiet as it's kept, Diggs had been plotting on that particular play from Jones all day.
"They were running it all game," Diggs said in his post-game press conference. "I seen it on film. The double slant to the front side, and I just read it and made a play on the ball. He tipped it and it just fell in my hands."
Once it did, Diggs put every bit of his 4.42s 40-yard dash speed to good use.
"There was no stopping me," he said. "As soon as I got it, I was like I have to go score."
As would be the prevailing theme of the evening for the Cowboys, however, the celebration was short-lived. The Alabama-on-Alabama crime continued when Jones avenged Diggs' pick-six by dropping back on the very next drive and hitting a streaking Kendrick Bourne -- who was the victim of Diggs' interception only moments prior -- for a 75-yard touchdown to regain the lead for the patriots with two minutes and 21 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
Diggs pulled up on the back end of the route, the film reveals, after looking up and seeing safety Damontae Kazee streaking toward Bourne for what might've been the game-sealing interception -- had Kazee not taking a very poor angle that saw him overrun Bourne entirely. Diggs gave chase but it was too late, and while it was Kazee who was mostly accountable for giving up the big play, you wouldn't know if by asking Diggs.
He's falling on the sword himself.
"They came right back," Diggs said. "Hit a double move. I kind of let up. It was my fault. I should have been on top of it. I take full accountability for that. It's my fault. Next time, I'm going to be better. I'm going to be on top of it.
".. It's still my fault. It's still my man at the end of the day. I can't rely on the safety to be right there. It's still my man.
"It's still my fault, and I take responsibility for that."
Diggs and the defense would see Dak Prescott and the offense negate that error just as the defense had done at times during the game for the offense -- Prescott leading the Cowboys to field goal range where kicker Greg Zuerlein would delete his own mistake (a missed field goal attempt) by making a 41-yarder to force overtime in New England. The defensive unit would take the field first in the extra session and force the Patriots to punt after only five plays, and Prescott went to work carving up the opposing defense en route to a game-winning walk-off touchdown to CeeDee Lamb.
Anything that could've gone wrong for the Cowboys -- including controversial officiating -- nearly did, but time and again each phase of the game cleaned up for the other's mistake(s). It's a resiliency Prescott spoke of strongly following the win at Gillette Stadium, and it's echoed by Diggs.
"Had to overcome a lot of adversity," he said. "Had a lot of calls, a lot of penalties. That was a tough place to play. We just stuck together.
"All of us are brothers. We have each other's back -- it's clear. You can see it on the field, how we fight for each other. Defense, we give up a touchdown, offense comes back, offense gets stopped, defense gets a touchdown, it works. This is a good team, and I'm excited."
But when it comes to keying in on possibly breaking more interception records and keeping his ongoing streak of INTs alive, Diggs could not care less, at least for the most part. He feels that if he continues to focus on the day-to-day and play-to-play aspect of getting better and continuing to make plays, everything else will "take care of itself" when it comes to
