Nelson Agholor Far From Routine In First 100-Yard Performance With New England Patriots

Nelson Agholor reached the century mark for the first time in his New England Patriots career Sunday at Acrisure Stadium.

A third down with 30 seconds remaining before intermission played no small part in why. The veteran wide receiver sprinted down the right sideline with Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon in his left hip pocket. As the football neared, both turned back.

But off the Schutt helmet of one and into the Nike gloves of another it went. And for touchdown from 44 yards out.

“I would say that I’ve been on both sides of those,” Agholor said in his press conference following New England’s 17-14 win over Pittsburgh. “I’ve played eight years. I’ve been on both sides of those where I’ve gone up for it and I haven’t finished it. I think it’s about focus and just being present at the moment when the ball is in the air.”

Six passes in all were caught by Agholor on the afternoon. Finishing with 110 receiving yards, it marked the USC product’s seventh game in triple digits since entering the NFL in the second round of the 2015 draft.

The previous arrived during his tenures with the Philadelphia Eagles and Las Vegas Raiders. He had three such games with the latter while on a one-year deal in 2020.

“We talk from a coaching standpoint about going up and getting the ball at the high point,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick told reporters on a video conference Monday morning. “There are going to be some 50-50 balls like that. We had one last week that we lost to Tyreek Hill. Had one this week that we made, there on Witherspoon. So Nelly did a great job of going up and getting his hands on the ball, and then kind of ripping it down and pulling it away. So you give him all the credit in the world on that.”

Agholor, 29, had caught just 37 passes for 473 yards and three touchdowns during his initial campaign in Foxborough after signing a two-year, $22 million contract last March. The rookie starter under center targeted him on 62 occasions over that span.

But more targets followed through workouts in the spring and training camp in the summer. The one that snapped a 3-3 tie in Pittsburgh had a completion probability of 26.2%, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.

“We’ve worked on that play through the offseason and 50-50 balls,” Patriots quarterback Mac Jones said postgame of the touchdown after going 21-of-35 passing for 252 yards and an interception. “And he’s one of those guys that I put in the throw-it-up-to-him category. And he’s going to have make the play. So if it’s one-on-one, I’ll give him a shot.”

Jones, a team captain, noted in August that Agholor’s football knowledge made him “almost like a quarterback” out wide. But the Super Bowl LII champion he’s throwing to knows the difficult plays are as important as the easy plays.

Agholor had three catches for 28 yards and a fumble in the season opener against the Miami Dolphins before helping prevent New England’s first 0-2 start since 2001. His rebound on Sunday coincided with fellow receiver Jakobi Meyers catching nine passes for 95 yards.

“I hope that this week springboards us into more weeks to come,” added Agholor, who carries a cap number of $14.882 million in the final year of his deal. “With Mac, he’s getting better every week. And me as a player, I want to get better with him. I want to produce for him. I want to build the confidence that he feels like he can come to me if I’m five yards behind a guy or only one yard. Whatever it is, you build that type of confidence by making those tough plays and having also those routine plays.”

The balance between the two will be up against the Baltimore Ravens next Sunday. Kickoff at Gillette Stadium is set for 1 p.m. ET.