The Philadelphia Eagles made a bit of history on Saturday, becoming the first team in over two decades to repeat as NFC East champions. Their 29-18 win over the Washington Commanders not only locked up the division crown but also bumped them to 10-5 on the season, keeping them firmly in the NFC playoff mix.
While the offense seems to be finding its rhythm at just the right time, not everything is clicking in Philly. One area that continues to raise eyebrows-and not in a good way-is special teams, particularly the kicking game.
Veteran kicker Jake Elliott had another rough outing in the win over Washington, missing both of his field goal attempts. One came from 43 yards in the second quarter, the other from 52 just before halftime.
Those misses pushed his season total to seven, as he now sits at 17-for-24 on the year. For a team with Super Bowl aspirations, that kind of inconsistency from the kicking game could become a real issue in January.
Head coach Nick Sirianni, however, made it clear on Monday that there won’t be a change coming at kicker. He reaffirmed his trust in Elliott, stating that the veteran will remain the team’s kicker heading into the postseason.
It’s a bold show of confidence, especially considering Elliott’s struggles from distance. Over the past two seasons, he’s missed 10 field goals from 50 yards or more. In today’s NFL, where kickers are routinely drilling attempts from 60-plus yards, that kind of unreliability can force an offense to make tough fourth-down decisions in spots where most teams would comfortably send out the field goal unit.
This season, Elliott is just 10-of-17 on kicks from beyond 40 yards-a noticeable dip from his usual production. To his credit, he’s been a steady presence in Philadelphia for nine years, and he’s hit at least 84 percent of his field goals in six of those seasons. But right now, the numbers tell a different story.
With the playoffs looming, the Eagles are going to need every phase of the game firing on all cylinders. The offense is trending in the right direction, the defense has shown flashes, but special teams-especially the kicking game-remains a question mark.
Sirianni is standing by his guy, and Elliott will have a chance to reward that faith. But in a postseason where one kick can decide a season, the margin for error is razor-thin.