Philadelphia Eagles: Matt Gay made Jake Elliott’s day

As you may or may not have read about here, the Philadelphia Eagles were very well represented in the Pro Bowl alternates department, with Jalen Hurts, Javon Hargrave, and Dallas Goedert headlining a list of six players rounded out by Shaun Bradley, Josh Sweat, and Jake Elliott.

For any of that sextet to join fellow Eagles Jason Kelce and Darius Slay in the Pro Bowl, the player ahead of them on the proverbial depth chart would have to either opt-out of the game, retire, or decline their spot because they’re headed to the Super Bowl.

As of now, one more Eagle is headed to the big game, with more potentially on the way depending on how the quarterbacks room shakes out.

That’s right, after setting a new franchise record for the highest regular season field goal percentage, Jake Elliott can add Pro Bowler to his rapidly rebounding resume, all because of soon-to-be Super Bowl participant Matt Gay.

The Philadelphia Eagles have to be ecstatic with Jake Elliott’s rebound season.

One year ago, Jake Elliott’s future was anything but certain. He’d just finished off the worst season of his four year NBA career, with lowlight completion percentages on both field goals and extra points; the only thing saving Elliott from a heated preseason kicker competition was his massive – for a kicker – contract and the perception that the Philadelphia Eagles were going to be very good.

As it turns out, the Eagles actually were a pretty good team, and Elliott’s fifth professional season was too.

Taking the field for the fifth-straight season with Rick Lovato, Elliott hit 90.9 percent of his field goal attempts, including all three of his attempts from 50-plus, and was perfect from extra point range on 44 attempts. While his touchback percentage and average kickoff yardage both trailed his career highs set all the way back in 2018, both still sat above his career averages and were improvements over his 2020 campaign.

Had Matt Gay not turned in a similarly impressive season on higher usage, Elliott likely would have been voted into the Pro Bowl outright, but you know what they say, it’s not about how you get into the game but what you do once you’ve arrived. Even if Elliott made it into the game as an alternate, he’ll still forever have “1x Pro Bowl” on his Pro-Football-Reference page right up there next to “1x Super Bowl” and will be able to add a new jersey to his pool room.

All in all, talk about a fantastic development.

In the NFL, the quality of a kicker can elevate or sink the fate of a team. The San Francisco 49ers made it to the NFC Championship game over the Green Bay Packers because of their superior special teams unit, and more than a few Super Bowls have been decided by which team’s kicker can connect and which team’s can’t. In 2021, two of the Philadelphia Eagles’ games were decided by three points or more, but hey, in 2022, maybe that number will be even higher. If that happens, it’s reassuring to know fans won’t have to watch kicks through their fingers, as Jake Elliott has established himself as one of the best kickers in the game.