Jake Elliott has made plenty of long field goals during his seven-year career with the Eagles, but the 59-yarder he hit to force overtime on Sunday was something special.
The level of difficulty was extremely high.
“I think that was probably, given the conditions and everything, that was probably the toughest one I’ve had to hit,” Elliott said at the time.
Rain fell all afternoon at the Linc, and the winds made things even more difficult. But, with a 4th-and-17 at the Buffalo 41-yard line and only 25 seconds left in regulation, the Eagles didn’t have much of a choice.
Despite the fact that 59 yards was beyond the comfortable range established prior to the game, the Eagles sent Elliott out there to give it a shot.
And the Eagles’ star kicker drilled a line drive to force overtime and tie the game at 31-31. The Eagles eventually defeated the Bills in overtime, 37-34, to improve to 10-1 on the season.
“Oh, that’s money every time,” said DeVonta Smith. “No doubt it my mind.”
Elliott has made 8 of 9 fourth-quarter/overtime field goal attempts this season, including a 54-yard game-winner against Washington earlier this season. He’s now made 6 of 7 field goals from 50 yards or more this season, and he’s 19 of 21 overall.
When a kicker lines up for a huge opportunity like this, some players don’t like to watch. Smith stated that he did not blink.
“I’m watching,” Smith stated. “You’re not watching because you’re afraid of what might happen.” I know it’s money, so I’ll keep an eye on it.”
Jason Kelce said he watched it too. And he appreciated Elliott’s making that kick because it was two false start penalties called against Kelce that backed the Eagles up to make it such a difficult attempt in the first place.
Kelce said Elliott “bailed me out pretty big.”
“I think we all feel pretty confident even though it’s a hard kick,” Kelce said. “Jake’s been as good as anybody, especially down the stretch with some meaning behind it since he’s been here. Jake the Make, whatever you want to call him. He’s been huge for us and I think everybody, even though it’s a tough kick, was pretty confident in his ability to go out there and get it done for us.”
Because of the conditions, Elliott said his first responsibility was to make sure the ball had the distance. That meant hitting a line drive, while trusting that the protection would hold up without getting the kick blocked. This kick was a laser that went through the uprights.
While the open end of the stadium was the more difficult end early in the afternoon, by the time of the 59-yarder late in the fourth quarter, there was more of a cross-wind. “So I appreciated that,” Elliott said with a sly grin.
Elliott, who joined the Eagles during the 2017 season, is the franchise’s all-time leader in 50+ yard kicks with 26 in his career. With all due respect to David Akers, Elliott is most likely going to go down as the greatest kicker in franchise history.
What makes Elliott so special is that when the game is on the line, he always seems to come through. Elliott on Sunday evening said he has always liked being put in those situations, even dating back to high school and college.
“For whatever reason, I really like those situations,” he told me.
The Eagles have complete faith in Elliott, but head coach Nick Sirianni can’t stand watching these huge kicks. Instead, he awaits word from special teams coordinator Michael Clay.
And this is usually good news for Elliott.
“Nobody I’d rather have in the NFL more than Jake Elliott,” Sirianni was quoted as saying. “Shoot, he’s the best kicker in the NFL in my opinion.” He’s such a jerk.”
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