Tag: Nelson Agholor

4 Takeaways from Patriots’ 29-0 dismantling of Lions

Here are 4 main takeaways from the Patriots’ performance on Sunday

The New England Patriots, clad in their classic red Pat Patriot getup, sent the No. 1 ranked Detroit Lions offense through the woodchipper on Sunday, holding them scoreless throughout the duration of the contest.

It was running back Rhamondre Stevenson and wide reciever Jakobi Meyers leading the way for New England’s offense all game, with Stevenson rushing for 161 yards and Meyers catching seven receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown.

While the Patriots were still without starting quarterback Mac Jones, rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe looked comfortable in his stead, throwing for a solid 188 yards and a touchdown, while also adding an interception.

Here are four takeaways from Sunday’s matchup.

3 key matchups could decide Patriots’ Week 5 game vs. Lions

These three positional matchups could decide Sunday’s game between the Patriots and Lions.

The Patriots host the Detroit Lions in a week 5 matchup that features the red throwback jerseys for the first time in 10 years. The Lions (1-3) are looking to prove skeptics wrong that their high-powered offense can carry their struggling defense.

Meanwhile, the Patriots are hoping to avoid a third straight loss with rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe making his first NFL start.

Without further ado, let’s get into the key matchups that could decide the fate of this week’s game for the Patriots.

Secret Superstars for Week 2 of the 2022 NFL season

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar points out the NFL’s great performances by unheralded players in his weekly Secret Superstars team.

There are all kinds of reasons that NFL players are underrated.

Perhaps they’re in systems that don’t best show their skills. Maybe they’re buried on a depth chart. Or, they’re in somebody’s doghouse, and their coaches can’t see their potential. Sometimes, young players haven’t quite put it all together, but there are enough flashes to make you sit up and take notice, and when it does work, it’s all good.

Week 1 of the 2022 regular season features players at every position who showed up and showed out despite their underrated statuses, and here at Touchdown Wire, it’s our job to point them out.

Here are the Secret Superstars for Week 2 of the 2022 NFL season.

Patriots WR Nelson Agholor praises Jakobi Meyers’ work ethic

Nelson Agholor is impressed with Jakobi Meyers

New England Patriots wide receiver Jakobi Meyers has been a consistent force for the Patriots in the passing game, and his efforts have not gone unnoticed by his teammates.

Wide receiver Nelson Agholor, in particular, had praise for Meyers following Sunday’s game.

Meyers was a key piece for the Patriots offense during the team’s 17-14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He caught nine passes for 95 yards on 13 targets. He was a security blanket for quarterback Mac Jones, as the Steelers defense gave the Patriots offense fits early on.’

Agholor played well in his own right, catching six passes for 110 yards and a touchdown. It was his highest receiving output as a member of the Patriots. Despite his strong performance, he made sure to credit Meyers for his consistency.

“Practices with that type of mentality,” Agholor said, per NESN’s Dakota Randall, “Trains with that type of mentality in the weight room — conditioning, all that. In the classroom. And then he goes out here and he just plays. Does his job. When the ball’s in the air, he has great focus and he’s a tough player.

“I would say I’ve played with a lot of tough players, but I have so much respect for tough he is and how consistent he is as a player. He’s a guy that I’m very honored to play next to even at his young age because his leadership is a silent leadership. He doesn’t have to talk, he just leads by example.”

This is the second strong week in a row for Meyers.

He was one of the few bright spots during New England’s loss to the Miami Dolphins last week. He looks to be a favorite target for Jones. So it’ll be intriguing to see his production in this offense moving forward, as New England gets more comfortable with their offensive system.

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Tunnel Vision of Week 2

Tunnel Vision – a look back at Sunday for fantasy free agents, injuries and notable performances.

SUNDAY SALUTES
Quarterbacks Pass-Rush TD
 Tua Tagovailoa 469-1 6
 Lamar Jackson 318-119 4
 Carson Wentz 337-23 3
 Joe Flacco 307-6 4
Jared Goff 256-(-2) 4
Running Backs Rush-Rcv TD
Nick Chubb 87-26 3
Tony Pollard 43-55 1
D’Andre Swift 56-31 1
Damien Harris 71-16 1
Aaron Jones 132-38 2
Wide Receivers Yards TD
Tyreek Hill 11-190 2
Amon-Ra St. Brown 9-116
68 rush		 2
Jaylen Waddle 11-171 2
Cooper Kupp 11-108 2
Garrett Wilson 8-102 2
Tight Ends Yards TD
Mark Andrews 9-104 1
Darren Waller 6-50 1
Mike Gesicki 4-41 1
Ross Dwelley 1-38 1
Logan Thomas 3-37 1
Placekickers XP FG
Graham Gano 1 4
Daniel Carlson 2 3
Evan McPherson 0 3
Brandon McManus 1 3
Austin Seibert 4 2
Defense Sack – TO TD
Buccaneers 6-5 1
Jaguars 5-3 0
49ers 2-3 0
Falcons 1-3 1
Ravens 1-2 1

Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts

QB Trey Lance – Fractured ankle
QB Jacoby Brissett – Ankle
RB James Conner – ankle
RB Damien Harris – Knee
WR Devin Duvernay – Concussion
WR Jerry Jeudy – Shoulder
WR Mike Evans – Ejected
WR Hunter Renfrow – Head
TE Tyler Kroft – Knee
TE Dalton Schultz – Knee

Chasing Ambulances

QB Trey Lance – Fractured ankle and is gone for the year. This gives way to Jimmy Garoppolo and suddenly it’s 2021 all over again. 

QB Jacoby Brissett – Suffered an ankle injury when he was sacked near the end of the game. But he came back for the next series. He said he would play against the Steelers this week.

RB Damien Harris – He had five carries in the final two minutes but was injured on the final five-yard run with 1:51 that made the first down that allowed them to run out the clock. But he limped off the field. He later said he was fine. He’s continued with the same primary role he had last year.

RB James Conner –  Missed nearly the entire second half with an ankle injury. The Cardinals went to splitting the work evenly between Eno Benjamin and Darrel Williams who ended up leading the backfield with 59 yards on eight carries that included a one-yard touchdown. If Conner remains out, both backs will be involved again. They had similar stats, other than the one 30-yard run that Williams produced.

WR Jerry Jeudy – Reported to have injured his shoulder but had x-rays on his ribs that came back negative. He will undergo further tests but the hope is that he just bruised his ribs and can play through the injury. There were no receivers that stepped up and took his place. Courtland Sutton had 11 targets while no one else had more than four. The Broncos need Jeudy to return because the depth is very thin.

WR Mike Evans – Was ejected for fighting between downs when players were getting chirpy at each other and pushes became punches. There is still a chance that Evans would be suspended  because this hardly the first time that he’s tangled with CB Marshon Lattimore who also was ejected. The Buccaneers are thin on receivers with Chris Godwin and Julio Jones inactive this week. Breshad Perriman, Russell Gage and Scotty Miller were all involved this week to only minor impact.

TE Dalton Schultz – Injured his knee late in the win over the Bengals and left the field. He will receive tests on Monday to determine the severity, but there is a concern that he may miss time.

Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables

QB Joe Flacco (NYJ) – Led the Jets in a comeback win over the Raiders and threw for 307 yards and four touchdowns. Playing at home against the Bengals should be no worse this week.

QB Jared Goff (DET) – He may be often criticized, but the Lions quarterback threw four touchdowns against the visiting Commanders along with 256 passing yards. He’ll play at the Vikings this week which will be a tougher venue.

QB Jimmy Garoppolo (SF) – The 49ers lost Trey Lance for the season and Garoppolo slips back behind the wheel as he did last season when he passed for 3810 yards and 20 touchdowns over 15 games. He’s less a fantasy advantage as he is more reliable for keeping Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle fantasy relevant.

RB Darrel Williams (ARI) – He remained on the sideline in Week 1, but once James Conner was injured, Williams helped out for the second half and gained 59 yards on eight runs with one score. If Conner is out against the visiting Raiders this week, Williams will share the backfield with Eno Benjamin.

RB Raheem Mostert (MIA) – He started the game and out-touched Chase Edmonds 14 to 6. Mostert gained 51 yards on 11 carries and three catches for 28 yards. Edmonds only rushed five times and caught one pass. This is not an official switch of the depth chart, but a good example of how HC Mike McDonald will mix and match his backfield. Mostert is worth owning as a stash, but the backfield needs to show consistency before it can be relied on.

WR Nelson Agholor (NE) – Led the Patriot receivers with six catches for 110 yards and paired with Jakobi Meyers (9-95) as the only two receivers that mattered against the Steelers. Davante Parker failed to catch either of his targets. Kendrick Bourne is a nonfactor. And this week, the Patriots host the Ravens who were just toasted for 469 passing yards and six touchdowns.

WR Garrett Wilson (NYJ) – The rookie that was taken as the second wideout in the NFL draft has already proven he is the real deal. Wilson opened the year with eight targets for four catches and 52 yards in the loss to the Ravens. At Cleveland, he was targeted 14 times and caught eight for 102 yards and two scores. His second touchdown came with 11 seconds left to provide the game-winner. No other Jets’ wideout had more than five targets.

TE Gerald Everett (LAC) – The newest Chargers tight end opened the year with three catches for 54 yards and a score against the Raiders. In Week 2, he tied with Mike Williams and Austin Ekeler with ten targets in the loss to the Chiefs. That became six catches for 71 yards. For a tight end, that consistency and merits landing on a fantasy roster if he is still available.

WR Amari Cooper (CLE) – Had his breakout game as a Brown when he caught nine passes for 101 yards and a score versus the Jets.  That was more than double the production of any other Cleveland receiver.

WR Curtis Samuel (WAS) – Two weeks in and he’s been everything that he wasn’t last year. Samuel scored in both games and averaged seven catches for 65 yards per game.

WR Jahan Dotson (WAS) – The Commanders opened against a very light schedule – the Lions and Jaguars – but the rookie Dotson scored twice in Week 1 and then twice on Sunday versus the Lions. The home game against the visiting Eagles will provide plenty of motivation to throw the ball.

TE Evan Engram (JAC) – He hasn’t scored yet, but his first two games with the Jaguars resulted in four catches for 28 yards and then seven receptions for 46 yards this week. That’s worth bye-week coverage if nothing else.

RB Tyler Allgeier (ATL) – The Falcons placed Damien Williams on injured reserve, so the rookie was active in Week 2. He handled ten rushes for 30 yards, splitting the backfield workload in half with Cordarrelle Patterson (10-41). The new offense in Atlanta only threw one target at running backs this week – an incompletion to Patterson. Allgeier saw playing time and took the same amount of work as the starting running back.

RB Jeff Wilson (SF) – With Elijah Mitchell out, the 49ers relied on Jeff Wilson (18-84) and Tyrion Davis-Price (14-33) in the easy win over the Seahawks. But half of the rookie carries came in the last half of the fourth quarter to run out the clock. Wilson is safely the starter and will be the lead back. He’ll get a tougher challenge this week in Denver.

TE Kyler Pitts (ATL) – Apparently, the change in quarterback this year is catastrophic for Pitts production. Two weeks in and he’s turned in exactly two catches for 19 yards each time. The success of Drake London (8-86, TD) on Sunday should help, but Pitts receives the primary coverage of the defense and Marcus Mariota is not throwing to him.

RB Dameon Pierce (HOU) – It wasn’t a breakout game exactly, but Pierce owners have to like seeing him take 15 carries for 69 yards against the Broncos while Rex Burkhead had none this week. The schedule is no friend to the Texans, but Pierce is already assuming the entire rushing load for the backfield.

WR Darnell Mooney (CHI) – He turned in a career best 81 catches for 1,055 yards and four scores last year during Justin Fields’ first season. He also had Allen Robinson lining up across from him and he was the focus of the secondary. Now that he is gone -and not replaced – Mooney is the only wideout that concerns the secondary and after two weeks, he totals two catches for four yards. This week, it was one catch for a four yard loss. That’s all. Fields killed Robinson’s value last year and now Mooney is an absolute no-show. The good news is that the Bears host the Texans this week. If Mooney again only catches one short pass, stick him on the back end of your roster and forget about him until he does, well, anything.

Huddle player of the week

Tua Tagovailoa  –  There was a question as to whether Tagovailoa could justify having two elite wide receivers. The answer is yes, at least for Week 2. He passed for 469 yards and six touchdowns – tying the franchise touchdown record of Dan Marino and Bob Griese. He led the Fins from being down 28-7 to throwing the winning score with 14 seconds left to play. Both Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle caught 11 passes for over 170 yards and two scores. It was a personal yardage best for Tagovailoa by 108 yards.

Salute!

Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry

Comedy Yards TDs Tragedy Yards TDs
QB Tua Tagovailoa 469 6 QB Trey Lance 43 0
RB Darrel Williams 62 1 RB James Conner 51 0
RB Raheem Mostert 79 0 RB Ezekiel Elliott 49 0
WR Garrett Wilson 102 2 WR Ja’Marr Chase 54 0
WR Nelson Agholor 110 1 WR DJ Metcalf 35 0
WR Noah Brown 91 1 WR Brandin Cooks 54 0
TE Mike Gesicki 41 1 TE Kyle Pitts  19 0
PK Graham Gano  1 XP   4 FG PK Matt Prater   1 XP
Huddle Fantasy Points = 145 Huddle Fantasy Points = 28

Now get back to work…

Winners and losers in Patriots road win over the Steelers

There are more winners than losers this week for the Patriots

A gutsy road win over the Pittsburgh Steelers was the New England Patriots’ response for laying an egg in the season-opener against the Miami Dolphins at South Beach.

And they should be proud of it.

Yes, the Steelers have all sorts of problems happening on the offensive side of the ball, and the defense was playing without star pass-rusher T.J. Watt. But Pittsburgh’s defense is still clearly an elite unit coming off a game where they forced Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow into five turnovers.

Being able to go on the road and beat a well-coached team like the Steelers in a hostile environment is an impressive feat regardless.

Seeing as this is the Patriots’ first win of the season, we’re going to do something different this week and not name any losers. It was a team-earned victory, and they’ll need to be even better when hosting the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3.

Here are the winners from Sunday’s game against the Steelers.

WATCH: Mac Jones take top off defense with Nelson Agholor touchdown pass

Mac Jones threw a strike to Nelson Agholor at the end of the half.

The New England Patriots offense struggled at the start of Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, a highlight towards the end of the second-half made Patriots fans a little bit more optimistic.

The Patriots had an eight-play, 74-yard drive that took 2:46 off the clock. New England desperately needed an offensive spark, and they were able to get it towards the end of the half. Quarterback Mac Jones floated a 44-yard pass to wide receiver Nelson Agholor for the lead.

For Agholor, the touchdown adds to what has already been a stellar day. He had four catches for 80 yards at the half.

It will be intriguing to see if he can continue to play at a high level, as New England needs a spark offensively. A big day for Agholor could go a long way.

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Nelson Agholor Moss’ed Akhello Witherspoon to give us the most disrespectful touchdown of 2022 (so far)

Agholor went up, got the ball and stole Witherspoon’s soul all in one fell swoop.

Nelson Agholor was a free agent splurge for the typically frugal New England Patriots. He hit the 2021 marketplace following a career year in his lone season as a Las Vegas Raider — 48 catches, 896 yards and a ridiculously potent 18.7 yards per catch. That made him a piece of Bill Belichick’s 2021 spending spree, where he signed a two-year, $22 million deal to part of the team’s overhauled, post-Tom Brady offense.

The move didn’t pay off last year. He looked like the same high-potential, low-production wideout who’d flummoxed the Philadelphia Eagles for five years after being a first round selection in 2015. But on Sunday, he looked worth every bit of that $11 million salary. Unfortunately for the Pittsburgh Steelers, it came at cornerback Akhello Witherspoon’s expense.

This deep ball should have been a Mac Jones interception. Instead, Agholor climbed the ladder, scooped the ball off Witherspoon’s helmet, and leapt into the end zone to give his Patriots a 10-3 lead heading into halftime in Pittsburgh.

Through one half, Agholor has four catches for 80 yards and a touchdown. His previous career high for receiving yards as a Patriot? 72.

Mac Jones to Nelson Agholor for a spectacular Patriots TD

Nelson Agholor with a fantastic play to make the catch and score a Patriots TD

The New England Patriots executed a beautiful two-minute drill at the end of the first half of their game with the Steelers on Sunday in Pittsburgh.

Mac Jones took his time, and kept his poise, moving the team toward the Pittsburgh goal line.

And then the second-year QB from Alabama took the deep shot.

Nelson Agholor was the target and he was well-covered by Ahkello Witherspoon.

But the veteran Agholor was not going to be denied and he came down with the pass and made his way to the end zone.

The play was good for 44 yards and 6 points.

The 8-play drive took 2:46 and after the PAT the Patriots had a 10-3 lead on the road.

ESPN names one Patriots WR as 2022 surprise player, and it’s not Jakobi Meyers

Jakobi Meyers might be Mac Jones’ favorite target, but he isn’t the only one you should be keeping an eye on.

The New England Patriots’ wide receiver room has depth. It may not have perennial Pro Bowl-caliber players, but there are options as the team looks to change up its offensive scheme.

The room looks to be headlined by newcomer DeVante Parker, as well as veterans Jakobi Meyers and Nelson Agholor. The latter looks to be a bigger part of the equation, after having an up and down season in 2021.

Agholor was one of the Patriots’ first big free agent signings in the 2021 offseason spending spree. He recorded 37 catches for 473 yards and three touchdowns. He showed flashes of what he could do last season but was never able to fully find his groove.

Could this be a bounce back year for the wideout? ESPN’s Dan Graziano certainly thinks so. He believes the wideout could be a potential surprise for the Patriots in 2022.

Graziano wrote:

“It’s a crowded group of pass-catchers, to be sure, but the buzz out of New England this camp has been that Jones and Agholor have developed a reliable connection. There are many things we don’t know about how this offense will function in New England this year, but watch out for Agholor as a guy Jones has grown to like a lot.”

Agholor has indicated that he feels like 2022 could be a bounce-back year for him. He will need to have a strong season in order to stand out from the rest of the pack.

The Patriots will need all wide receivers to be on top of their game, as they look to keep pace in a crowded AFC East.

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