Panthers should be mindful of Nelson Agholor’s big-play potential

Agholor is another weapon the Eagles have, and the Panthers should be cautious.

Much of the talk this week in previewing Sunday’s game has been about how the Carolina Panthers will stop Zach Ertz. First off, let me say it is rightfully warranted. Ertz has been one of the top tight ends in football over the past couple of seasons. However, heading into the game, there is another name that worries me, one that files under the radar at times.

His name is Nelson Agholor. He caught five passes for 91 yards last week against the New York Giants, making the most out of his receptions. Averaging 30.3 yards per catch, that was his highest mark of the season to this point. He paced the offensive attack nicely and provided a big-play threat in a game that was slow-moving offensively.

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The past couple of seasons has been a nice change for Agholor. In his second year in particular, he struggled to establish himself as a big-play threat. However in 2017, that all changed. He caught 62 passes for 768 yards and eight touchdowns. 35 of those receptions went for first downs. On a team that had guys such as Torrey Smith and Ertz, Agholor was a nice complementary option.

Agholor is having another great year this year. He has caught 23 passes for 283 yards and a touchdown. He has been relatively quiet for most of the year. However, he has had one other breakout game on the year. He caught eight passes for 88 yards and a touchdowns against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 16. He is capable of having games with big numbers. He just has to play more consistently in order to do so.

A tough Panthers secondary will not do him any favors. They have been good at locking down receivers and have shown a knack for finding the football. He may be able to take advantage of certain matchups, but for the most part, they should be able to keep up with him. He is not the type of wideout that will overpower defenders off the line. However, he is dangerous when it comes to yards after the catch. Once he turns on the jets, it is game over. He has notched 115 yards after the catch this year. That puts him ahead of wideouts such as DeSean Jackson and Sterling Shepard.

Something that may work in his favor is the fact that the defense may be preoccupied with Ertz. He should use that to his advantage if possible. If everything goes according to plan,  he will be well-covered. Even still, he has the talent to be able to find holes in the secondary.

It will be interesting to see what Agholor does on Sunday. There is little doubt he will get his chances, the Panthers just need to make sure they can stop him.