Flashback Friday: Philadelphia Eagles K Jake Elliott earns his wings
In Week 3 of the 2017 NFL season, the Philadelphia Eagles made a game more difficult than it needed to be, but it made for a pretty special moment, one that came courtesy of kicker Jake Elliott.
Perhaps the most difficult part about sweating through a campaign Philadelphia Eagles fans hoped would culminate in a Super Bowl victory was navigating through the twists and turns of a 17-week regular season in 2017. Every human emotion was touched in Week 3. In the end, it was a game that will always be remembered for how it ended, with a 61-yard field goal by rookie kicker Jake Elliott as time expired.
This game’s setting was Lincoln Financial Field for the Eagles’ home opener. The adversary was a familiar one, ‘Big Blue’ a.k.a. the New York Giants. The tale was a familiar one. You have to throw records and expectations out when two teams that know each other this well show up to play a football game.
Philly escapes but learns some valuable lessons in the process.
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The Eagles were coming off of a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs after disposing of the Washington Redskins in Week 1. The Giants, many of the experts’ pick to win the NFC East, stumbled in at an underwhelming 0-2.
Philly should have won and did, but it wasn’t easy. They blew a 14-0 fourth quarter lead and found themselves on the wrong end of a 21-14 score before rookie running back Corey Clement (who wasn’t drafted) scampered 15 yards to draw Philly even.
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Both teams would exchange field goals before the Eagles got the ball back with less than a minute remaining.
That led to a play no one seems to remember that was equally important, a 17-yard pass to Alshon Jeffery. That put ‘The Birds’ in field goal range, and it also set up one of the biggest moments of the season, a 61-yard game winner. Oh, did we mention that also set a team record?
Here are some of the highlights:
Video courtesy of the NFL’s official YouTube Page
Next: Put a trip to the Eagles’ Super Bowl room on your bucket list
One for the ages:
This one had everything. There were goal line stands, twists and turns and last-second heroics. Another great chapter was written in the Eagles-Giants rivalry, and most importantly, Philly learned some valuable lessons without having to lose the game.
When we look back, this may be remembered as the game that brought the eventual Super Bowl champions closer.