Nick Sirianni
Getty
Nick Sirianni
Despite a slightly wobbly start, the Philadelphia Eagles have turned into one of the powerhouses of the National Football League.
Now having all but secured the NFC East title – an accolade they can wrap up this coming weekend if they move past the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Washington Commanders fail to beat the New Orleans Saints – the Eagles are turning their eyes towards a bigger prize: the #1 seed in the NFC.
Currently held by the Detroit Lions, standing at an impressive 12-1, the first round bye into the Divisional round of the playoffs will be particularly helpful this year, as a surprisingly competitive NFC faces tough competition across the entire conference.
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Vic Fangio
GettyPhiladelphia Eagles defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio, vs. the Carolina Panthers
Yet, it feels like with the rebounding defense under the stewardship of former Broncos head coach and defensive whiz, Vic Fangio, and a devastating rushing offense lead by Offensive Player of the Year frontrunner, Saquon Barkley; the Eagles could have a strong chance at topping the conference come the end of the regular season – and making a deep run into the postseason.
The one thing that has held the Eagles back, outside of an occasionally slightly inconsistent passing attack via quarterback, Jalen Hurts, is the kicking game.
Kicking The Biggest Concern For Otherwise Foolproof Eagles
Jake Elliot
GettyJake Elliot
Surprising to many – although undoubtedly not fantasy football players – Jake Elliot is having the worst season of his pro career. And unlike fellow struggling placekicker, Justin Tucker – who turned 35 last month – Elliot at 29 should be just entering his prime kicking years.
Elliot has caught a mega case of the “yips”: he is 0-5 on field goals greater than 50 yards, and his 75% on all FGs ranks 34th this year. Of kickers who have attempted at least 20 field goals this year, only 4 have a worse accuracy percentage – and all of them have made at least 1 50 yarder.
Being on such a complete team, Elliot is now the #1 cause for concern amongst Eagles fans, particularly with the high-pressure playoffs soon to be upon us.
Yet, Philadelphia head coach, Nick Sirianni, issued a surprisingly calm, wholehearted endorsement of the veteran kicker, per Eagles writer Brooks Kubena.
Nick Sirianni: “I’ve got a lot of confidence in Jake Elliott.”
He says again that the wind was “a lot more than you can tell” yesterday on the 55-yard attempt Sirianni passed on.
“Confidence is very high in Jake because I’ve seen who he can be.”
— Brooks Kubena (@BKubena) December 9, 2024
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Sirianni’s confidence is not necessarily misplaced; Jake Elliot has been easily one of the best kickers in the league for nearly a decade, since being drafted in the 5th round by the Eagles in 2017.
And whilst veteran kickers can have off spells and bad times – think Mason Crosby’s tough 2021 season for the Green Bay Packers that preceded a much improved 2022 year – it feels difficult to have true faith in a player who is having such continual trouble making what are normally manageable kicks.
Even with the head coach’s backing; if Elliot’s kicking continues to degenerate before our eyes, it may not be long before a veteran pair of legs is bought in for the playoffs.