There Are No Easy Answers To "Fix" Eagles' Struggling Kicker

Longtime Philadelphia Eagles kicker Jake Elliott has missed all five tries from 50-plus yards this season, and the kicks will only get more important as the season ends for the finish line.

Nov 14, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles place kicker Jake Elliott (4) lines up a field goal against the Washington Commanders during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA - There are things that can be done to fix the Eagles’ ailing passing game. The kicking game? Perhaps not so much.

On one hand, you want to continue to show confidence, not further deplete any shred of confidence he may still have.

On the other hand, can you continue to send out Elliott when drives bog down near the 35 because he hasn’t made a kick over 50 yards on five tries all season long?

Nick Sirianni chose not to send Elliott onto the field to try a field goal from the 36 – about 54 yards – with three minutes left in last week’s 22-16 win over the Carolina Panthers. A successful try there and the Eagles would have gone up 25-16. Game over.

Instead, it came down to the defense when Sirianni took a five-yard delay of game penalty and punted back to the Panthers, who made things interesting from there, to say the least.

The Eagles head coach said that wind was a factor in not sending Elliott out. What else can he say - "Yeah, we didn’t believe he could make a kick from that distance?”

Special teams coordinator Michael Clay was asked on Tuesday what he and the coaching staff can do from a mental standpoint because Elliott’s process to prepare for a kick doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon.

“It's just reiterating how great of a kicker he is,” said Clay. “That's positive reinforcement. I obviously can't get in the mind of Jake, and Jake is such a great athlete, and he's had ice in his veins at times, but for myself, I can really help him out by positive reinforcing him.”

Clay likened himself to a caddie, which is right down Elliott’s alley because the kicker is an avid golfer with a low handicap.

“I'm just trying to help them out in one way,” he said. “Maybe it's a phrase I can tell them, ‘Hey, stay true to yourself, finish down the field.’ He could keep that emotion for him and it can help him out. For myself, it's being the best caddie I can be in terms of the mental aspect and keep positively reinforcing, not just him, but the entirety of this team.”

There’s just not much else to do, other than to hope Elliott figures it out before a missed kick costs the Eagles a game whether it’s over the final four games or in the playoffs.

“The sky is not falling down in our eyes,” said Clay. “We're going to go out there. (Wednesday) is another day for Jake to get out there, put his best foot forward, keep the confidence going with him, and make sure - it's the last month of the season. It's going to come down to a kick at some point. When you have Jake in there, you actually have a good feeling that you can put it through the uprights.”

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