Jake Elliott went from automatic to liability at the worst possible time for the Eagles

The Eagles punched their ticket to the playoffs, clinched back-to-back NFC East titles, and did exactly what good teams do against inferior opponents.

Buried inside that 29–18 win over Washington was something that should make everyone uncomfortable. The Eagles might not trust Jake Elliott anymore and before anyone calls it speculation, the decisions made on the field Saturday night in D.C. tell us that’s likely the case with two games left in the regular season.

There were two massive moments Saturday that screamed it. First, the Eagles faced a 4th-and-7 from the Washington 38 while trailing by three. In years past, that’s an automatic field-goal situation.

Instead, Nick Sirianni kept the offense on the field. The play failed, but a Commanders penalty bailed them out and eventually led to a touchdown. It worked out, but only because Washington handed them a lifeline.

Later, after Tank Bigsby’s 22-yard touchdown put the game out of reach, the Eagles went for two instead of letting Elliott add the extra point.

That decision sparked a brawl and multiple ejections, but more importantly, it was another moment where Elliott was removed from the equation entirely.

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Those aren’t coincidences. Those are choices.

They came after Elliott missed three field goals on the night. Two officially counted. One from 43 yards. One from 57. Another from 52 after a penalty gave him a second chance. He pulled all of them left. Routine kicks. Kicks he used to make in his sleep. It’s part of a trend that’s impossible to ignore now.

Jake Elliott Missed Field Goals vs Commanders:

[Highlight] PHI vs WSH – Jake Elliott gets a second chance at the FG before the half and misses it left again
byu/Fusir innfl

• 43-yard attempt: Missed wide left.
• 57-yard attempt: Wiped out by a Washington offside penalty.
• 52-yard attempt (after penalty): Missed wide left again

Over his last nine games, Jake Elliott is 11-for-18 on field goals.

He’s missed seven kicks in that span. That’s the worst stretch by an Eagles kicker since Chris Boniol in 1997. His 61.1 percent accuracy since Week 7 is the lowest by an Eagles kicker in a nine-game stretch since 1992. Those are names you do not want to be mentioned alongside.

What’s even more alarming is where the misses are coming from. Elliott used to be automatic inside 50 yards. Before this season, he was a 92 percent kicker from that range. This year, he’s at 81 percent. League average is 91 percent. Missing long kicks is one thing. Missing 41, 43, and 48-yarders is another.

When your head coach chooses a 4th-and-7 conversion attempt over a 56-yard field goal that your kicker used to make routinely, that tells you everything you need to know.

Nick Sirianni said after the game that he has “the utmost confidence” in Elliott. That’s the answer you give publicly. Coaches don’t throw their kickers under the bus. But actions matter more than quotes, and the Eagles’ actions say the confidence is shaky at best.

Jake Elliott is now sitting at a career-low 70.8 percent field-goal rate. He’s 6-for-9 from 40–49 yards and 4-for-8 from 50-plus. Over the last two seasons, he’s 2-for-8 from 56 yards and out after being 8-for-9 from that distance earlier in his career.

This isn’t a blip anymore. This is a pattern.

Yes, Jake Elliott, even while struggling, has been able to put it together when it matters in the playoffs and Super Bowl but at the same time, that doesn’t mean his current stretch isn’t concerning.

In 2024, the Eagles gave him a four-year, $24 million extension because they believed stability at kicker mattered. Now, heading into the playoffs, stability is the one thing they don’t have at the position.

This is a production-based business. If you don’t produce, teams move on.

Jake Elliott himself acknowledged the reality of the situation.

#Eagles K Jake Elliott on whether his recent struggles are mental: “No, honestly, not at all. That’s kind of what’s frustrating about is I don’t feel that way at all. I kind of wish it was. Easier to fix.” Elliott asked if he worries about the team exploring other options, says… pic.twitter.com/dNgUj5auRy

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) December 21, 2025

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