Watch: Nelson Agholor makes incredible catch on 44-yard touchdown vs. Steelers
BOSTON -- After a somewhat quiet start to their Week 2 tilt against the Steelers, the Patriots' offense hit on a game-changing play just ahead of halftime. With New England set up just over midfield, Mac Jones dialed up a deep pass to Nelson Agholor, and the receiver made an incredible catch to give the Patriots their first touchdown of the afternoon.
With the Pats facing a third-and-3 at the Pittsburgh 44, Jones gave it the ole heave-ho down field as Agholor raced down the right sideline. Agholor jumped up to haul in Jones' pass over Steelers corner Ahkello Witherspoon at the Pittsburgh 8-yard line, and leapt his way into the end zone to put his team up 10-3 with 22 seconds left in the half.
AGHOLOR OVER THE TOP!
— NFL (@NFL) September 18, 2022
📺: #NEvsPIT on CBS
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Whoa, Nelly! Jones and the rest of the New England offense raced down to celebrate with Agholor in the end zone. The reception is the longest play by the Patriots' offense this season.
It's an even more impressive snag after seeing just how improbable it was, courtesy of ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss.
From @ESPNStatsInfo: Mac Jones' 44-yd TD pass to Nelson Agholor had a completion probability of 26.2%, the third-lowest completion probability on a Jones TD in his career.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) September 18, 2022
"I've been on both sides of those," Agholor said of the catch after New England's 17-14 win. "It's about focus and just being present in the moment when the ball is in the air."
Jones was confident that Agholor would come down with the ball when he heaved it to the veteran receiver.
"We worked on that play in the offseason and 50-50 balls. He's one of those guys who I put in the 'throw it up to him' category, and he's going to make the play. If it's one-on-one, I'm going to give him a shot. ... Kind of a different philosophy, but that's what we need to do."
Agholor caught all six of the passes that Jones sent his way, finishing with a team-best 110 receiving yards on the afternoon. He was most excited about the deep pass setting up New England's run attack the rest of the afternoon, as the Patriots ran for 124 yards on Sunday. That included an incredible final drive in which the Patriots drained 6:33 from the clock to seal the victory.
"I hope this game is a stepping stone toward where we are headed," Agholor said of the offense. "I want us to take this and build off of it."