FOXBORO — Before the Patriots beat the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday for their first playoff victory in seven years, Stefon Diggs gathered his teammates together to share a motivational message.

“Hey, be violent, man!” the veteran wide receiver said, as captured by the Patriots’ in-house media team. “Be smart, but when in doubt, crash the (expletive) out. It’s us vs. them, man. Ain’t nobody like us. Ain’t nobody believe in us. I like us, man. Go lay in on the line for your brother, man.”

I LIKE US pic.twitter.com/nPdAQRLAIf

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) January 12, 2026

Following New England’s 16-3 victory at Gillette Stadium, Diggs was asked why he feels that nobody likes or believes in the Patriots. After asking for a reporter’s opinion on the matter during a lengthy back-and-forth, he explained his rationale.

“I think from my vantage point, obviously, we’ve got a different scope of things,” Diggs said. “But y’all in the media, y’all see each and every day. I don’t think nobody really liked us. Nobody believed in us. We were a young team, we’ve got a young quarterback, and throughout the season, we just grew. We just grew, and we kind of grew together. And as we’ve had this success, everybody’s been humbled, everybody’s been unselfish, and everybody just wants to win.

“So why I said it is because it’s the truth. Nobody likes us but us — and I love us. I like us a lot. I tell them every time, as we continue to grow and become that team that we believe — (expletive) they’ll start liking us eventually.”

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The Patriots went 14-3 and earned the No. 2 seed in the AFC under head coach Mike Vrabel, but they’ve faced questions about their championship bona fides after playing one of the weakest schedules in NFL history. They passed their first postseason test on Sunday, dominating the Chargers defensively to offset a shakier showing by their Drake Maye-led offense.

“I still don’t believe we’ve played our best ball,” said Diggs, who caught two passes on five targets for 16 yards in the win. “Even myself included — I want to be better. But I feel like the will to win matters.”