Jake Elliott is frustrated. Nick Sirianni says he has ‘ton of confidence’ in the Eagles kicker.
Elliott says he gets it if the Eagles seek competition at kicker. "I understand it’s a production-based business."
Eagles kicker Jake Elliott reacts after he missed a 52-yard field goal attempt during the second quarter Saturday. Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
LANDOVER, Md. — There is an isolating nature to Jake Elliott’s job.
Hundreds of micro moments impact a given game. There are passes and runs and blocks and tackles and situational coaching decisions. All of those things can work in harmony on a given day and success or failure could still hinge on your swinging foot.
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The Eagles won going away, 29-18, over the Washington Commanders on Saturday night and clinched the NFC East title along the way. But inside a happy locker room was a frustrated kicker who missed two field goal attempts, who has missed five over the last five games, who also missed a point-after attempt during that stretch.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts claps leaving the field after the Eagles beat the Washington Commanders 29-18 in Landover, Md., on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025.
Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer
Eagles offensive tackle Fred Johnson and guard Tyler Steen get into a brawl on the field with Commanders during the fourth quarter.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Eagles running back Tank Bigsby celebrates a touchdown with guard Landon Dickerson during the fourth quarter.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley scores a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Eagles running back Tank Bigsby and running back Saquon Barkley (right) celebrate Bigsby’s fourth-quarter touchdown.
Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley picks up yards during the fourth quarter.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley runs past Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner for a fourth-quarter touchdown.
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Eagles running back Saquon Barkley celebrates his fourth-quarter touchdown in front of Commanders safety Jeremy Reaves (left) and Eagles guard Tyler Steen (right).
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Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts celebrates after Eagles running back Saquon Barkley runs for a fourth-quarter touchdown.
Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts runs for a first down during the fourth quarter.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean celebrates a third-quarter interception.
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Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean celebrates an interception during the third quarter.
Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer
Eagles safety Reed Blankenship celebrates after stopping Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. during the third quarter.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer
Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert celebrates his third-quarter touchdown with quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer
Eagles place kicker Jake Elliott gets the extra point after a Dallas Goedert touchdown during the third quarter.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert makes a touchdown catch during the third quarter.
Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer
Eagles place kicker Jake Elliott misses a 52-yard field goal attempt during the second quarter.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer
Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota is under pressure during the third quarter.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer
Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. celebrates a touchdown with running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt during the second quarter.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts runs the ball during the second quarter.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts fumbles the ball and recovers during the second quarter.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts throws to Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown, who dropped the ball, during the second quarter.
Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer
Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown can’t hold onto the ball as the pass is incomplete during the second quarter.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley makes a first-down run during the second quarter.
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Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown celebrates after a first-down catch-and-run during the second quarter.
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Eagles running back Saquon Barkley with a first-down run during the second quarter.
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Eagles fans, including one dressed as the Grinch, watch the game against the Commanders.
Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham after sacking Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota in the first quarter.
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Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith celebrates a first-quarter touchdown against the Commanders.
Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota is sacked by Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham during the first quarter.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer
Commanders cornerback Jonathan Jones reaches for Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown as he runs for yards during the first half.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts gets a first down during the first quarter.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Eagles wide receiver Britain Covey on a punt return during the first quarter.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts after throwing a touchdown pass to Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith during the first quarter.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer
Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean is slow to get up and is taken for a medical check during the first quarter.
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Eagles wide receiver Britain Covey leaps during an Eagles first-quarter punt.
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Eagles safety Sydney Brown stops Commanders wide receiver Jaylin Lane in a punt attempt during the first quarter.
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Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean leaves the field to get checked out for an injury after a Commanders holding call during the first quarter.
Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer
Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith is stopped by Commanders cornerback Mike Sainristil during the first quarter.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer
Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith is tackled by Commanders cornerback Mike Sainristil during the first quarter.
Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Eagles cornerback Adoree' Jackson tackles Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin during the first quarter.
Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts takes the field for warm ups before the game against the Washington Commanders.
Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
It is not the isolating part that is getting to him, Elliott said. In fact, the soon-to-be-31-year-old kicker in his ninth NFL season wishes it were a mental thing at this point.
“It would be easier to fix,” Elliott said.
“It’s just frustrating.”
Saturday’s frustration was amplified by the fact that Elliott struck the ball well during warmups, he said. He hit from 52, 55, 58, and 60 yards during pregame. He entered the game, he said, with a good plan, “and when they don’t go through in the game it’s no one to blame but yourself. That’s where we’re at. I got to figure some stuff out.”
Elliott’s first miss was a 43-yard attempt with the Eagles leading, 7-3, six minutes into the second quarter. He was “a little quick” on his swing and hooked it left. It was just his second miss of the season inside 50 yards.
The next, with the Eagles trailing 10-7, came near halftime. There were two, but only one of them counted. He first missed from 57 yards but Washington was offside, which gave the Eagles a first down. The Eagles could not get any positive yardage on the next play and they sent Elliott back on the field to kick from 52 yards out. Elliott was happier with his kick, but he thought the wind took it late.
Elliott is now 17-for-24 on the season. His success rate of 70.8% is the worst of his career.
Elliott, a two-time Super Bowl champion, a second-team All-Pro in 2023, and a Pro Bowler in 2021, is under contract through the 2028 season. He came back after the All-Pro selection in 2023 with an inconsistent 2024, when his make percentage dropped from 93.8% to 77.8%. It is not out of the realm of possibility that the Eagles explore other kicking options after the season. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Eagles explore bringing a kicker in for the homestretch here, either.
“I understand it’s a production-based business,” Elliott said when asked if he was worried the Eagles could bring in a new kicker. “You see it all the time. That’s out of my hands, that’s out of my control, all I can do is kind of put my head down and keep pushing.”
Nick Sirianni said he has the “utmost confidence in Jake.”
“I have a ton of confidence in him that he’ll respond and rebound from this because he’s mentally tough and a great kicker,” Sirianni said.
Punter and holder Braden Mann does, too.
Mann said Elliott has consistently carried the right mindset into his job. His next-kick mentality has been a constant.
“He’s got the history,” Mann said. “His confidence is through the roof. Everyone here, all of our confidence is high for him. He’s just a consistent guy. He doesn’t get too high or too low in big moments, and he’s come through in big moments a lot in the past. It’s easy to rely on a guy like that who really wants the big moment.”
Elliott hit a similar rough patch late in the season last year. He missed four field goals over the final five games of the regular season, then missed an extra point in a wild-card round win over Green Bay. Then, in the snow, he missed two extra points but was 3-for-3 on field goals in a divisional-round victory over the Rams. He then missed from 54 yards in the NFC title game but made seven point-after tries.
It was a bumpy ride that ended with perfection in the Super Bowl: 4-for-4 on field goals, including two makes from 48 and another from 50, and 4-for-4 on extra points.
Will he lean on that experience?
“It’s all the same thing,” Elliott said. “It’s dealing with success, it’s dealing with failure. It’s all the same. I feel proud that I’ve handled all that kind of the exact same over the years. I’ve had a long career and have learned a lot throughout that on both sides of it.”
Elliott wasn’t interested in getting overly philosophical about the mental part of the game, the isolation of being a kicker, and what happens next.
“I just got to put the ball through the uprights,” he said. “That’s my job, man. That’s it. It’s not any deeper than that.”