The Philadelphia Eagles completed the first step in their quest to get back to the Super Bowl and repeat as champions on Saturday night. The Eagles beat the Washington Commanders, 29-18, and won the NFC East for the second consecutive season.
While there were a ton of positives to take away from Saturday night’s win, there was also a huge concern that gave Eagles fans some pause, and that was the performance of Jake Elliott.
The 30-year-old missed two field goals in the first half, putting the Eagles in a small three-point deficit going into halftime. Elliott also missed a 43-yard field goal wide left, and then missed a 52-yard field goal almost in the same direction with nine seconds left in the second quarter.
It was certainly jarring to see, but it's something that Eagles fans have grown accustomed to seeing from Elliott recently. Heading into Week 16, the former Pro Bowler had missed at least one field goal in four out of his last seven games.
Eagles fans are clearly growing irritated with Elliott and his play. However, Sirianni isn’t ready to give up on the veteran just yet, as he told reporters following Saturday night’s win.
"I have the utmost confidence in Jake. I think, like any team, you have ups and downs. ...I have the utmost confidence in him that he'll respond, he'll rebound from this because he's mentally tough and a great kicker. We have utmost faith in Jake moving forward,” Sirianni said via Zach Berman of The Athletic
Nick Sirianni Is Not Ready to Throw In the Towel on Jake Elliott
Eagles fans weren’t exactly pleased by Sirianni’s response, but there’s not much else he can say at that moment. It would not be smart for him to throw his kicker under the bus, especially after a win.
And not to mention, Elliott has been good when the calendar flips to January, which is what you want to see. That being said, the Eagles can’t afford Elliott to be an issue when the playoffs roll around, as every point and possession matters more.
Luckily, you can get away with missing two field goals against the Commanders, but that won’t cut it against the Buffalo Bills in Week 17 or during the playoffs. At this point in the regular season, the Eagles won’t be making a change at kicker or bringing someone in to compete with Elliott.
However, they have to hope that Elliott can quickly turn it around. The fact that he’s become shaky on field goals beyond 40-plus yards this season (10-of-17) is not good. You could say it puts more pressure on the offense to score touchdowns and consider going for it on fourth downs more.
Needless to say, these next few weeks are pivotal for Elliott’s Eagles tenure and whether the team will make a change in the offseason. Even though they just signed him to a four-year, $24 million extension in Mar. 2024, the Eagles have a potential out in Elliott’s contract for 2026 that could be ultilized if his struggles continue.