The Philadelphia Eagles have a kicking problem—and it has gone from a nagging whisper to a screaming emergency.
It’s no longer something you can bury in the middle of talk-radio debates about the offensive line or the quarterback. It’s front and center, impossible to ignore, and the red flag is flashing brighter than Rudolph’s nose on Christmas Eve.
Over his last nine games, Jake Elliott has missed seven field goals. He’s converted just 11 of 18 attempts in that span—a dismal 61.1% success rate. For the season, he sits 38-of-54 (70.8%), ranking him 24th among qualified NFL kickers. That’s not just “off”—it’s bad. Really bad.
Saturday night in Washington was the breaking point:
- A missed 43-yarder that should be automatic.
- A 57-yard attempt wiped out by penalty.
- A 52-yarder that missed wide left anyway.
Three kicks. Two officially counted. One massive blow to trust.
The misses aren’t coming from 60+ yards. They’re coming from the routine range: 41 yards in Minnesota, 48 yards against the Chargers, 43 yards against the Commanders. Those are the kicks that used to feel like guarantees.
The historical comparisons are brutal:
- Elliott is the first Eagles kicker to miss seven field goals in a nine-game span since Chris Boniol in 1997.
- His 61.1% accuracy over the last nine games is the worst nine-game stretch by an Eagles kicker since Roger Ruzek’s 6-of-12 mark in 1992.
The three-game slide has been especially costly. Missed kicks against the Cowboys and Chargers likely would have flipped those losses into wins, putting the Eagles in the No. 1 seed spot in the NFC right now. Even the missed extra point against the Bears on Black Friday sucked the life out of Lincoln Financial Field and forced the team to chase a point they never recovered.
Elliott’s career numbers inside 50 yards have always been elite—92% before this season. This year? 81%. The league average is 91%.
The loudest alarm came from the sideline. In the third quarter against Washington, on fourth-and-7 from the Commanders’ 38, Nick Sirianni chose to go for it rather than let Elliott attempt a 56-yard field goal to tie the game. That decision said everything. The trust is gone.
Once upon a time, Elliott was automatic from long range: 8-of-9 from 56+ yards in his first seven seasons. Over the last two years? Just 2-of-8. The kicks that used to define him are now being avoided.
Yes, he was a Super Bowl hero eight years ago. Yes, he was nearly perfect (9-of-10 FGs, 15-of-17 PATs) during last year’s championship run. But this is not last year. And in the postseason, missed field goals are the fastest way to end a season.
The Eagles are not rebuilding. They are built to win right now. They are chasing a repeat. And nothing swings tight January games faster than a kicker you can’t trust.
The question is no longer whether Elliott can bounce back. The question is whether the Eagles can afford to wait and find out.
They need to explore alternatives—now, not in the offseason. Because when the head coach would rather go for it on fourth-and-long than kick a game-tying field goal, the decision has already been made in the building.
This is no longer a mild concern. This is Code Red in Philadelphia. And the Eagles’ biggest liability heading into the playoffs is standing right on the hash marks.