So now what do the Eagles do with Jake Elliott?

Jan 19, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles place kicker Jake Elliott (4) celebrates after kicking a field goal against the Los Angeles Rams in the third quarter in a 2025 NFC divisional round game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher

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The Eagles advanced to the NFC Championship Game Sunday, but little happened to erase the lingering feeling that a missed kick by Jake Elliott will eventually doom them this postseason.

To his credit, Elliott was 3-for-3 on field-goal attempts in the 28-22 win over the Los Angeles Rams Sunday, with his longest being from 44 yards. There was no sure thing given the weather conditions at Lincoln Financial Field Sunday, particularly in the second half. 

But when Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua and the Rams were driving late in the fourth quarter, it was particularly scary for Eagles fans because Los Angeles needed just a touchdown and extra point to take the lead. Erasing that lead with just over a minute left would have been nearly impossible for the Eagles given the weather conditions. 

Fortunately for the Eagles, a Jalen Carter sack of Stafford helped to stave off a late push by the Rams. But the major reason the Eagles were in position to potentially lose the game on a touchdown and extra point is because Elliott missed a pair of extra-point attempts. The first miss came after the Eagles took a 6-0 lead in the first quarter on a 44-yard touchdown run by Jalen Hurts. Elliott missed it wide left, and this was before the weather really got bad. The second extra-point miss from Elliott came after Saquon Barkley's 78-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter. By this point, the weather was a factor, although it's unclear if that's why Elliott pulled it left considering he had made three field goals. 

If Elliott had made both of those extra-point attempts, the Rams would have needed a touchdown and successful two-point conversion attempt on their final drive to even tie the game. That two-point swing, fortunately for the Eagles, didn't end their season. But that doesn't mean the Eagles should bury their heads in the sand in regards to Elliott. It would hardly be a hot take to suggest that Elliott has a case of the yips right now. 

Elliott made seven of eight field-goal attempts from beyond 50 yards during the 2023 regular season, and was a Second-Team All-Pro. This season, he made just one of eight attempts from beyond 50 yards. 

Despite some struggles on field-goal attempts during the regular season, Elliott still made 47 of 48 attempts on extra points. But Elliott missed one of his two 33-yard extra-point attempts in the NFC Wild Card win over the Green Bay Packers. And then he followed that up by missing two of his three extra-point attempts Sunday. Couple that with concerns that you entered the postseason with about his ability to make field goal attempts of 50+ yards, and it's fair to wonder if the Eagles should bring in another kicker on their practice squad this week and have him compete with Elliott. 

Ideally, the Eagles will just get through this season with Elliott and make necessary corrections in the offseason, whether it's mental, mechanical or some combination of the two. He's still only 29 years old, and there's no reason he couldn't be the kicker in Philadelphia for five more years. He has previously shown an ability to consistently hit deep kicks, and made some clutch kicks in Super Bowl LII. The Baltimore Ravens are trying to get through this year with Justin Tucker, and Green Bay Packers certainly stuck with Mason Crosby through some lean stretches in his career. Given how steady Elliott has been for much of his career, it's hard to imagine throwing him overboard right now. 

At the same time, the Eagles are two victories away from the second Super Bowl title in franchise history. Elliott's struggles nearly cost them a chance to advance Sunday. Are they prepared to potentially allow the funk he's in prevent them from winning a title? Some tough conversations are going to have to take place in Novacare over the next 48 or so hours. 

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Tim Kelly

Tim Kelly is the Managing Editor for On Pattison. He's been on the Phillies beat since 2020. Kelly is also on Bleacher Report's MLB staff. Previously, Kelly has worked for Phillies Nation, Audacy Sports, SportsRadio 94 WIP, Just Baseball, FanSided, Locked On and Sports Illustrated/FanNation. Kelly is a graduate of Bloomsburg University with a major in Mass Communications and minor in Political Science.


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