It's been a rough week for Philadelphia Eagles kicker Jake Elliott, who has taken a ton of criticism for his play of late.
Elliott is coming off a game where, despite the Eagles winning 29-18 over the Washington Commanders, he found himself having missed two field goals in the first half. The veteran kicker will have a chance to redeem himself against the Buffalo Bills as the two teams square off for the first time since the classic 2023 showdown.
In that Bills matchup, Elliott nailed a 59-yard field goal in the rain late in the fourth quarter to tie the game and force overtime, where Jalen Hurts' rushing score ended the game and gave the Eagles the victory. While speaking with the media, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was asked about his memory of that win over the Bills, and the head man seemed very specific about remembering one moment first.
"Walk-off touchdown and first time I had ever been a part of a game where you win on the very last play in the NFL," Sirianni said via The Athletic's Zach Berman. "I think about Jake Elliott's field goal that he made to send the game into overtime and the operation that it took with Rick and with Braden and with Jake in the field goal unit to make that kick.
"Obviously, you watch the game this week as you prepare, so a lot more plays are on my mind as far as that goes. But those are the two main things that – and how good of an opponent Buffalo is and the sustained success that they've had through the course of these last five, six, seven years. Really good opponent, great coaches, great players. Josh Allen is a phenomenal football player and the back and forth of that game."
Nice try Sirianni, but Eagles fans are focused on 2025
It certainly felt like Sirianni purposely mentioned Elliott's long field goal to remind everyone that he is still a good kicker in this league. He might have been great in 2023, but Elliott has lost that mojo in the last two years.
This is the same kicker who went one of seven from 50+ yards out in the regular season and missed three extra points in the postseason last year. In 2025, he has made just 70.8% of his field goals, the lowest in the NFL, going 17 of 24.
Read more: Nick Sirianni has perfect response to Saquon Barkley "hating his guts" before Eagles
Could Elliott bounce back against the Bills after missing field goals in four of the last five years? Yes, it's definitely possible, but he has not shown any evidence that he will actually get that done, so Eagles fans are not going to get blindsided by nostalgia.