Why Eagles are sticking with Jake Elliott after three missed field goals vs. Commanders

Sports

add

The Philadelphia Eagles are sticking with struggling Jake Elliott, whose two Super Bowl rings with the Eagles outweigh a cold stretch that included three missed field goals Saturday.

“He’s had such a great career with so many highs, but like any player, he’s had some moments of struggle as well, and all I’ve ever seen him do is get up out of that and rise from that. I know he went through some struggles last year and ended up having however many field goals and extra points in the Super Bowl and in the NFC championship game,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said Monday. “So I have no doubt in my mind about the competitor he is and the way and how mentally tough he is to be able to rise from this situation as well.”

Asked if the Eagles will bring in kickers for competition this week, Sirianni responded: “I love the roster the way it is, and like I said, I have a ton of confidence in him with Jake and that he’ll rebound from whatever setbacks that he has.”

Elliott missed attempts of 47, 57 (negated by a penalty), and 52 yards. Each kick missed wide left. He made three extra point attempts.

Elliott is 17 of 24 (70.8 percent) this season, including 6 of 9 (66.7 percent) from 40-49 yards and 4 of 8 (50 percent) from 50-59 yards. He entered the season with an 84.8 percent success rate, including 85.9 percent within the 40s and 61.4 percent within the 50s. It’s Week 17, so the sample size is large enough to call this a major down year. Some of the misses have come with a different long snapper, and others have come in bad weather, but you shouldn’t be searching for excuses or rationalizations.

He hasn’t been as effective as he must be. And it’s also coming in a season when kicking has seemed more successful. Kickers are converting 85.4 percent of their field goals across the league, with 83.5 percent from the 40s and 67.4 percent from the 50s. Elliott is far too inferior to his career numbers and league-wide numbers.

After the Washington Commanders game, Elliott told reporters he’s healthy, “striking the ball well” and admitted the misses are frustrating.

With any discussion of Elliott, the history cannot be ignored. He’s a major part of Eagles history, kicking them to two Super Bowl victories after the 2017 season and 2024 campaign. He’s been outstanding in the postseason, connecting on 26 of 27 field goals, including eight from the 40s and 2 of 3 from the 50s. (It should also be noted he’s missed five extra points in the postseason, but the field goal numbers — and the significance of them — have been critical.) Elliott’s earned equity, and there’s confidence in how he can handle big moments and January weather.

Elliott has rebounded from slumps in his career. Then again, kicking is a bottom-line position. You’re judged on makes and misses, and hitting a big field goal in January 2025, or 2018, does not ensure you’ll hit one in 2026.

“I understand it’s a production-based business,” Elliott said of a change. “You see it all the time. So, that’s out of my hands. That’s out of my control. All I can do is kind of put my head down and keep pushing.”

The decision ultimately comes down to this: Are you any more confident that a kicker you sign on Christmas week will have more success than one of the top kickers of the past decade? This is not to say everything is fine, but Elliott is more trustworthy than the alternative. It might be a different question this offseason, although the Eagles would take on a big cap hit if they moved on from Elliott ($10.9 million in dead money with no cap relief).

This news was originally published on this post .

Share on

email

Previous

trending_flat

Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel sets NBA record as fastest player to reach 100 made 3-pointers

Sports

Next

trending_flat

Will he miss the World Cup? Neymar undergoes surgery and we now know when he will return

Al-Hilal