NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The last time Nelson Agholor had a game like this, he got benched.
That was two years ago against the Seahawks. He was benched for the Packers a week later and then transformed himself into an exceptional wide receiver last year.
But even Super Bowl stars can drop four passes in a game.
Which is what Agholor did Sunday in the Eagles' 26-23 overtime loss to the Titans (see Roob's observations).
"Obviously, you work very hard and that's not something you want to do," Agholor said. "That's your job. You get a little upset, but you have to move on, you have to work harder, and you have to get ready to bounce back."
Agholor was wide open when he dropped what would have been a big gain from Carson Wentz in the first quarter. He dropped what a first down throw later in the first quarter, dropped a pass over the middle in the second quarter and then, he had a drop in overtime.
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Agholor was targeted 12 times, caught five for 22 yards. That's less than two yards per target.
"I left plays out there," he said. "I'm going to watch the tape and be very critical of myself. Whatever opportunities that I had that I may have missed, I've got to make them."
The big difference between Nelson Agholor of 2016 and 2018 is that he now has the mental strength to fight through this kind of thing.
"You just work harder, man," he said. "Watch the tape. Be very critical of yourself. Whether it was lack of focus, whether it's lack of preparation that put you in position where you missed opportunities, you have to make sure you're really critical of your approach."
It's been a strange season for Agholor. He's got 25 catches but for only 167 yards - including a 50-yarder. That's his only catch of more than 17 yards. He only has seven catches longer than six yards.
He's the first wide receiver in NFL history with 25 or more catches for fewer than 175 yards four games into a season.
"It's my job to make explosive plays and help this team out and I left some plays out there," he said.
Unlike 2016, when we had never seen Agholor play at a consistently high level, everybody now understands he's a really good receiver who had a really bad game.
"I'm not too worried about him," Wentz said. "He's a guy that we rely on, that we trust, that I trust.
"I don't lose confidence. Guys make mistakes. I miss throws, guys drop balls, O-line misses blocks. It's part of the game. Obviously, it's something we've got to clean up - for all of us - but I'm not worried about it."
Agholor said he can't wait to get back to Philly and get back to practice.
"It's all about hard work," he said. "When you drop a ball, it's not a capability thing, it's a lack of focus at times. So you need to make sure where you're watching the tape and seeing what you can do to get better.
"Today was not my (type of) ball. It's not what I prepare for, it's not why I work so hard. But at the end of the day, sometimes it goes that way.
"But you've got to bounce back. You've got to have a lot of trust. You prepare at a high level and you have an obligation to this team to make plays."
