Could Philadelphia Eagles’ Jake Elliott Be All-Pro This Season?
The Philadelphia Eagles are a team full of stars, from quarterback Jalen Hurts to receiver A.J. Brown to center Jason Kelce, just to name a few. But through the first month of this season, it's possible that the most valuable player for coach Nick Sirianni has been kicker Jake Elliott, who is performing at an All-Pro level.
Elliott was the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 1, going 4-for-4 on field-goal attempts in a 25-20 win over the New England Patriots, despite suboptimal weather conditions at Gillette Stadium. Elliott hit two 50-plus yard field goals in the season-opener.
Three weeks later, Elliott was once again named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week, as he kicked a 54-yard field goal to help the Eagles hold off the upstart Washington Commanders and win 34-31. Like his Week 1 performance, Elliott hit on all four of his field-goal attempts in the victory over Washington.
Jake Elliott has had a tremendous start to the season for the Philadelphia Eagles.
USA Today
Sandwiched between being honored as the best special teamer in the conference twice in the first month of the season, Elliott turned in two other solid performances.
In a Week 2 Thursday Night Football win over the Minnesota Vikings, Elliott went 2-for-3 on field goal attempts. But while he did miss a 55-yard field-goal attempt in the first quarter, Elliott atoned by hitting a 61-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter. That tied his career-high from 2017, when he announced his arrival by hitting a game-winning 61-yard field goal against the New York Giants in a Week 3 win that's widely seen as a turning point in a Super Bowl season.
Meanwhile, Elliott went 3-for-3 on field goal attempts in Week 3, helping the Eagles to hand the Tampa Bay Buccaneers their first loss of the season.
On the season, Elliott is currently tied with Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey for the most field goals made at 13. Aubrey is 13-for-13 on field goal attempts, as opposed to 13-for-14 for Elliott. With that said, seven of Aubrey's field goals have been between 20 and 29 yards. Elliott has three field goals between 40 and 49 yards, as opposed to one for Aubrey. Elliott is 3-for-4 from 50-59 yards, while Aubrey is 1-for-1. And Elliott is one of just two kickers who has made a field goal in excess of 60 yards. Arizona's Matt Prater -- who has a 62-yard field goal -- is the only other kicker to make a 60+ yard field goal this season.
Obviously, the usual suspects -- Justin Tucker of the Baltimore Ravens, Younghoe Koo of the Atlanta Falcons and Daniel Carlson of the Las Vegas Raiders -- will likely have something to say about who gets the nod as the First-Team All-Pro kicker. But the Eagles haven't had a First-Team All-Pro kicker since David Akers in 2001, and if the first month of the season is any indication, Elliott has a chance to snap that streak.
