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Nelson Agholor made the smartest play of Monday Night Football, and it had nothing to do with his performance on the field. Rather, it dealt with the safety of a Patriots’ teammate who suffered a concussion.
In New England’s matchup versus Arizona, wide receiver DeVante Parker attempted to haul in a first quarter pass from Mac Jones. On that play, the pass catcher was hit by a Cardinals’ defender and was slow to get back up to his feet.
Both teams then got to the line to prepare for the next play when Agholor noticed there was something off about his teammate. Parker was seen visibly wobbly, having trouble getting set as he toed the line of scrimmage. There was just one problem.
Agholor was the only person on the field that seemed to notice Parker’s uneasy state.
Acting quickly, he turned to the officiating crew and stopped the play before the Patriots could get off another snap. The head-up action from Nelson Agholor saved Parker from taking anymore unnecessary damage.
Shoutout to Nelson Agholor. It looked like he noticed DeVante Parker was concussed and tried to get the play stopped. Great teammate. pic.twitter.com/uKuCFX7ktn
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) December 13, 2022
Many on social media were quick to react, pointing to Agholor’s quick reaction.
One person wrote, “Thank God for people like Agholor. Long term health greater than anything else.” Another fan commented, “What a fantastic teammate.”
But while many praised the Patriots’ pass catcher, others wondered how in the world everyone else missed Parker’s concussion-like symptoms. Looking at the video, it’s pretty clear he wasn’t in a state to continue playing.
Aren’t they supposed to have a supposed concussion watcher on the sidelines ? How could they not see him crashing into a teammate?
— Steven Alvarez (@alvie12) December 13, 2022
This NFL fan posted, “Shame on literally everyone else. It was obvious.” Another shared that sentiment, writing, “How did everyone else miss it? NFL only pretends to care about head injuries and that’s been on full display this year.”
It’s not the first time fans have been critical of the NFL’s concussion protocol. Tua Tagovailoa was involved in multiple incidents that had the league under scrutiny earlier this year.
This play will certainly be put under the microscope from both fans and the league. We’ll see what the NFL has to say about it after the conclusion of MNF.