Eagles' Jake Elliott gets vote of confidence from Nick Sirianni
While the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football, there was an interesting aspect of the game that had fans concerned over one player. Eagles kicker Jake Elliot had an uncharacteristic performance in the win over Washington, but if there is one person who isn't bothered, it would be head coach Nick Sirianni .
In the game, Elliot missed two field goals of 44 and 51 yards while also missing an extra-point try after quarterback Jalen Hurt's rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter. There is no doubt it was a frustrating night for the 29-year-old kicker, but Sirianni would reinforce his and the rest of the team's belief in Elliot after the game.
"Jake [Elliot] has been so clutch his entire career and his entire time that I've been here, too," Sirianni said via the team's transcripts. "Just like I would say to somebody that fumbled or dropped a pass in a moment, 'We believe in you. You're going to have to make a kick to help us win this football game.'"
"He did to get us up 16 points and 8 points or whatever it was," Sirianni continued. "We have so much faith in him and that's what you do. You can really build connections through tough times, right? So obviously he was going through a tough time, but this team believes so much in Jake Elliott because of his track record and who he is and the teammate he is and the captain he is. Just wanted to let him know that we all believe in him and can't wait for him to get his opportunity to go out and do it again."
Eagles' Jake Elliot on the reaction to his down outing
Having the belief of the head coach and the rest of the team is one thing, but it is another to have the self-confidence, which will likely be recovered by Elliot. However, he was of course down about his own performance using any word similar to the same meaning, according to The Philadelphia Enquirer.
"Frustrating," Elliot said. "The adjectives are kind of endless: pathetic, uncharacteristic."
The two missed field goals from Elliot highlighted a frustrating first half for the Eagles as they trailed 7-3 against the Commanders, where the score could have favored the home team if the kicks connected. It is not an issue with skill, as Elliot has made a bevy of clutch kicks, but he would express how the confidence in himself is still very much alive.
"You know what you're feeling during those times," Elliot said. "I've played this game for a long time and have a lot of those I can go back on, and I still have a lot of confidence in myself and in this room."
"I'm not a guy who needs a bunch of positivity around me," Elliot continued. "'You can do this!' I don't need that. I also need people coming over to me to tell me I [stink] and need to fix it right now. So I take that on myself. I'm my hardest critic, and I'm going to figure it out."
