Where is Nick Sirianni’s level of confidence in Jake Elliott? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Nick Sirianni said his confidence in kicker Jake Elliott hasn’t wavered despite Elliott’s continued struggles in his eighth NFL season.
Elliott — one of the most accurate long-range kickers in NFL history before this year — is 0-of-5 from 50 yards and out this year, including a 52-yard miss Sunday against the Panthers . With three minutes left and the Eagles up by six points, Sirianni missed a 54-yard field goal attempt that would have given the Eagles a two-possession lead to push the Panthers deep.
Sirianni’s decision ultimately worked, but it seemed to indicate a lack of confidence in Elliott.
Elliott was 11 of 17 from 54 yards and out before this year – that’s 65 percent and was 6th-best in NFL history through 2024. But he’s 0 of 3 this year from at least 54 yards.
Sirianni expressed confidence in Elliott during his Monday press conference and explained it Tuesday during an interview with the WIP Morning Show.
“I have so much confidence in Jake,” Sirianni said Tuesday. “I have a lot of confidence in him. I know he was a special player. You know, if you look at this year, he’s done some really good things this year and had a couple unfortunate misses, he blocked one as well, which wasn’t his fault. And so confidence is built through success in matches and what happens in training and I still have a lot of faith and confidence in Jake.
Overall, Elliott is 18 out of 24 this year and ranks 30th.th of 36 kickers who attempted at least 10 field goals at 75 percent.
Elliott is 18 of 19 from inside 50 yards, with the miss coming from 44 yards in the Washington game.
But 50-59 yard kicks make up a high percentage of kicks these days in the NFL. Other than Elliott, the rest of the NFL is 74 percent in that 50-59 range. Elliott is 0 of 4.
Elliott is one of eight kickers in NFL history with multiple 60-yarders – the game-winning 61-yarder against the Giants in 2017 in his second NFL game and a 61-yarder against the Vikings last year.
His longest field goals this year are 49 yards against the Browns and Bengals. The Eagles are the only team in the NFL without a 50-yard field goal this year.
The last time the Eagles went a full season without a 50-yard field goal was 2012, when Alex Henery attempted just one and missed a 58-yarder in Tampa.
The last NFL kickers to go 0 for 5 or worse in a season from 50 yards were Jason Hanson and Morten Anderson in 1994.
“You can see (Elliott) three hours a week, right? Sirianni said. “I can see it in training over and over and over. Again, why do we run certain players, certain defenses in the game? Because you want to think that’s what’s going to work. It’s part of the game plan, but you gain confidence in it as you train. And then it’s the same thing in the kicking game.
Entering this season, including the playoffs, Elliott had made 87.2 percent of his career field goals – 8th-the most in NFL history with a minimum of 100 attempts. He only has 14 leftth at 86.0 percent.
Elliott is 16 of 16 in the playoffs, including 4th-quarter kicks of 42 and 46 in the 2017 Super Bowl victory over the Patriots.
Sirianni said he wouldn’t hesitate to send Elliott in for a high-leverage attempt, regardless of the distance.
“In the moments when it is time to kick, I will have the most confidence (in him),” he said. “That doesn’t mean we don’t go for it when I feel like we should go for it or we don’t give it away when I feel like we should throw it. But it starts…with the confidence you have in your kicker and I have a ton, a ton, a ton of confidence in Jake Elliott.
Subscribe to Eagle Eye wherever you get your podcasts:
Apple Podcasts | YouTube Music | Spotify | Stitcher | Single broadcast | RSS | Watch on YouTube
