The Eagles beat the Commanders on Saturday and are on their way to the playoffs, but maybe not without having shown lost faith in their veteran kicker.
Nick Tricome
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Tag: jake Elliott
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Jake Elliott is struggling, and the Eagles’ confidence in him might be shaken
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Eagles-Giants memories: Pivotal points and playoff victories at the Linc
The Eagles-Giants rivalry brings a wealth of memories to look back on.
At the Meadowlands, it’s a history of miracles.
Back at home at Lincoln Financial Field (and the Vet before it), it’s a history of playoff victories and pivotal points in Eagles history.
The Eagles face the Giants again this week in South Philly, looking to get one back on their division rival after they flat-out got embarrassed by them two weeks ago up at MetLife Stadium.
Before they try to settle the score, here’s a look back at some favorite Eagles-Giants memories at the Linc, and some old highlight packages along with them…
The Tanner McKee Game
Jan. 5, 2025, Week 18 – W, 20-13
The Eagles were all set. At 13-3, they were locked in as the NFC’s No. 2 seed, with divisional round home-field advantage in the playoffs.
There was still a reason to play their starters, or one of them, in what was rendered a meaningless Week 18, as Saquon Barkley was pushing for the NFL’s single-season rushing record.
Head coach Nick Sirianni made the call to sit everyone in the end, though, which handed the keys to third-string QB Tanner McKee and the Eagles’ reserves, up against all of the New York Giants’ starters playing for whatever shred of pride they had left.
But McKee took it from them. He stayed cool and collected in the pocket, and tagged the Giants for 269 yards and two touchdowns on 27-of-41 passing.
He caught a floundering division rival completely off guard, but his Eagles teammates watching from the sideline? Hardly.
“Man, did you see Tanner McKee just throwing dimes all over the field?” starting center Cam Jurgens quipped afterward. “He’s fun to watch. We get to see him dice up our scout team. It’s just fun watching him go out there and make plays.”
The harder they fall
Jan. 21, 2023, NFC Divisional Round – W, 38-7
The 2022 Eagles broke out and tore through the regular season with a defense that had piled up sacks to a record degree, and with an offense that had threats all over the field and saw Jalen Hurts make his way into the MVP conversation.
They were a juggernaut entering the playoffs. The Giants, who rode Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones to a surprise playoff berth and then an upset over the Vikings in the Wild Card round, hoped to stand in their way, but their luck ran out in brutal fashion.
The Eagles had them crushed by halftime. The Giants couldn’t hope to cover anyone, playoff Kenny Gainwell became the new unsung hero of Philadelphia sports lore, and the Linc was breathing easy and celebrating a trip to the NFC Championship on the way to a 38-7 final – a familiar playoff score from the last Super Bowl run.
“Pick your poison, honestly,” former running back Miles Sanders said of how stacked that Eagles team was. “Starting with the quarterback, to the tight ends, to the running backs and the O-line, it’s just all good work. Everybody plays for each other.”
Which left the Giants with no chance.
Eagles/Giants Week! The 2022 Divisional Round Beatdown:
The 2022 Eagles swept the Giants 3-0 and the cherry on top was the 38-7 beatdown in Round 2 of the playoffs getting out to a 28-0 1st half lead and the game was over by halftime.
Here are all 5 Eagles TDs from that game: pic.twitter.com/0GRwMumgVj
— Fly Eagles Fly Bets (@Fly_EaglesBets) October 22, 2025
From 61
Sept. 24, 2017, Week 3 – W, 24-27
Carson Wentz and the Eagles had rallied back from highlight-reel Odell Beckham Jr. catches and a resurgent Eli Manning performance to bring the game down to a field goal kick with one second left.
It was just that rookie kicker Jake Elliott would have to make the shot from 61 yards away.
But he nailed it. Elliott got the distance and put the ball just inside the right upright, and the Eagles mobbed their new kicker as they improved to 2-1, in what would become one of the key moments that propelled them to their first-ever Super Bowl.
Wild Card Westbrook
Jan. 7, 2007, NFC Wild Card – W, 23-20
The Eagles rallied into the playoffs with Jeff Garcia at quarterback, and in the Wild Card round, against the Giants, Brian Westbrook kept the run going for one more week into New Orleans.
Westbrook took off on an unreal 49-yard touchdown run and had 141 rushing yards in total, Garcia fired a 28-yard laser to Donte’ Stallworth for a score late in the first half, and down to the wire tied 20-20, Westbrook marched them in close to bring the game down to a David Akers field goal.
Akers made the kick, the Giants were going home, Philadelphia celebrated, and a season once thought to have gone down along with Donovan McNabb and his torn ACL instead lived another week.
Grand T.O.pening
Sept. 12, 2004, Week 1 – W, 31-17
The Delaware Valley had waited an entire summer for this: Terrell Owens’ Eagles debut.
The Eagles finally had their true No. 1 receiver for Donovan McNabb, and along with him, the hope that they had the final piece to break through and, at long last, get to the Super Bowl.
The start of it all couldn’t have been drawn up any better.
Week 1 at home against the Giants, McNabb and Owens carved New York up and connected on three touchdown passes, with the new star receiver flexing and then flapping his wings in celebration upon each score.
The Eagles pummeled the Giants, 31-17, and it was one of those games where you just knew right away, after repeated NFC Championship failures, that this year was going to be different.
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Nick Tricome
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Eagles 2024 Fantasy Football Guide – Philadelphia Sports Nation
The Philadelphia Eagles have one of the best offenses in the NFL, if not the best.
For the fans’ sake, that’s good for fantasy football leagues around the country.
Which Eagles should you draft? How might they perform? That’s what I’ll try to answer.
For simplicity, I’ll reference points per reception (PPR) formats, as there are different discussions in non-PPR leagues.
Saquon Barkley, Running Back
The Eagles’ new starting running back, Saquon Barkley, whom they paid handsomely, is going off the board pretty early in most leagues. He is seen as give or take, one of the five best running backs this season.
Especially with a playmaker like Barkley, he should get high-end usage and be somewhat involved in the passing game as well. Behind a competent offensive line (an elite one, at that), he should soar as long as he’s healthy.
It’s a worthwhile concern to take issue with a potential lack of touchdowns due to how many weapons are on the offense. This can limit Barkley’s upside. There’s a very high floor here but a questionable ceiling. Could he really be the best running back in fantasy?
A.J. Brown, Wide Receiver
Simply put, A.J. Brown was a league-winner last season. Averaging 19.9 PPR points per game from Week 3 to Week 16, this player demolished the competition. He showed his upside even with big names in the fold—this is a good top receiver in all leagues with more than a couple of people.
Brown is magical with the football in his hands, so a decreased target share isn’t much of a worry. If he’s healthy, he’ll get plenty of looks. He only had seven touchdowns in 2023, so the sustainability of his play leans more optimistic than pessimistic.
Jalen Hurts, Quarterback
The time to maximize Jalen Hurts’ stock was a long time ago, but it now seems that the fantasy world has caught onto his status as a top-tier player. It’s tricky when dealing with quarterbacks, as a lot of people will tell you that you’re better off waiting until later rounds to take one. That’s only true in some instances.
Assuming your league has anywhere from eight to around 12 participants (and just one quarterback slot), which should be a large majority, there are options out there aside from the elite names. But to truly contend for a championship, you must have an answer. For example, there’s a low likelihood that teams who were streaming quarterbacks late in the season did much of anything in the playoffs—that’s a vital position.
If you can trust yourself to scope out future breakouts who are going low in drafts, such as rookie Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders, then it’s justified to avoid a quarterback and take another position. But if you want to be confident in a vital spot in the lineup, taking someone like Hurts makes sense. He can pass and run, and he should be one of the leaders in rushing touchdowns (which are worth more than passing touchdowns) thanks to the “Brotherly Shove.”
DeVonta Smith, Wide Receiver
Even in competition with Brown and others, DeVonta Smith got his fair share of targets last season. From Week 8 to Week 16, he averaged 17.4 points, even in a crowded offense. As a secondary receiver, this is one of the higher-end options.
Betting on talent in fantasy is never a bad idea. Though Smith could soar in a situation where he isn’t behind one of the best receivers in the world, this is a gifted player who could take charge any given week. There’s some consistency here, but you’re looking for games that he can blow open. In the Eagles’ offense, he absolutely has the chance to do that.
If you’re in a championship game, that’s the kind of upside you dream of.
Dallas Goedert, Tight End
Dallas Goedert used to be one of the best tight ends in fantasy, but he had a disappointing season in that regard in 2023. There’s a ton of competition for involvement, and, unfortunately, players like Barkley, Brown, Smith, and even Hurts take the ball out of his hands. This isn’t a bad upside bet, though.
Touchdowns are massive for tight ends since they don’t get the ball a ton, but Goedert only had three last season. And there’s just not a lot of confidence we see that number soar, but there’s a non-zero chance that it does. In bigger leagues (closer to 16 or more people), this might actually be a smart play. But he’s a low-end starter in your standard 8-12-man league.
Jake Elliott, Kicker
There aren’t many kickers better than Jake Elliott, either in real life or in fantasy football. He has been especially incredible over the last two seasons for the Eagles, aided by a dominant offense.
Most assume that there isn’t a difference between the top kickers and those on waivers, which is true to some extent. However, you could be gaining a point or two on a week-to-week basis when looking at his averages. We’ve all lost games by that margin—it almost feels like it happens all of the time. In my personal case, it happened in a championship game in a friend’s league last year (it was actually by 0.06 points).
Kickers matter, too.
If you want the best option and some upside, it’s not crazy to go for someone like Elliott when skill positions are still flying off the shelves, especially when you’ll statistically end up cutting them anyway.
Eagles D/ST
It would be best to leave this defense and special teams unit on waivers. The Eagles’ defense was one of the worst in the NFL last season, yet their most memorable splash in the offseason was a running back.
Some improvement here can happen, but it might only be a good idea to stream this defense if they have a favorable matchup. Even that wasn’t always the best bet—their lack of sacks, takeaways, and overall inability to stop offenses resulted in some low-end quarterbacks feasting.
Deep League Targets
Suppose you’re in a very deep league, such as with 32 players; both Jahan Dotson and Will Shipley appear to be decent bets. There’s some upside here.
With Dotson, it feels like an injury to either Brown or Smith would be the path here. Obviously, you never want players to get hurt—these athletes have families to feed. However, the reality of the sport is that it can happen to anyone. That would theoretically allow Dotson to get a big target share. It’s a sad way for that pick to pay off, but it’s something to understand. He’s a strong option with whom Hurts could fall in love anyway, perhaps. Hopefully, his emergence is what wins him over, and not someone getting hurt.
As for Shipley, he might not even get more reps than Kenneth Gainwell, another running back for the Eagles. The rookie has been pretty good in his action, though, and could be a solid early-down option in some instances. It’s hard to come by running backs in 32-man leagues so that big performances can win you a matchup. Shipley can maybe provide a few points here and there with a couple of 10-point showings if the Eagles like him enough and he hits his stride. That’s an unlikely outcome, but it’s not impossible. With that being said, there isn’t enough upside to consider him in normal leagues with a dozen or fewer players, but he’s intriguing if you have way too many football friends.
There’s a saying that you should try to avoid drafting based on your personal rooting interest. But in the Eagles’ case, you’re justified in doing so.
If anything, some of these players might be undervalued.
PHOTO: Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports
Justin Giampietro
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Three Eagles Veterans Who Can Continue Making An Impact In 2024 – Philadelphia Sports Nation
Last week I discussed 3 new Eagles who could make an impact in 2024. From new faces on the defense, and changes to the offense. There isn’t many reasons to doubt what the 2024 Eagles should bring.
With Training Camp and Preseason starting in the coming weeks. We’ll get a closer look at some of those players still vying to make a final roster spot before the 53 mans are due August 27th. While we might not see much of some of the Eagles veterans during those preseason games. There’s still a bottom line to expect from some players that have been around the organization for most of their careers.
Josh Sweat
Entering the offseason, it wasn’t clear if the Eagles were going to keep Josh Sweat or Haason Reddick in the future, as both would have been on expiring deals after this season had they not made a move for Bryce Huff.
Now, there’s more expectation from Sweat with a contract season looming. The Eagles drafted Sweat with the 130th pick in the 2018 Draft. Did they expect him to put up an 11 Sack season in 2022? Or 11th in Pressures last season?
The Eagles made a statement keeping Josh Sweat for the final year of his deal. With the additions of Bryce Huff and Jalyx Hunt, some pressure might be off of Sweat, but the Eagles should expect to see something similar to his 2022 season if they’re going to continue with Sweat in the picture.
Jake Elliott
We need to make one thing abundantly clear. The Eagles probably weren’t even close to being 10-1 if not for Jake Elliott’s performances last season.
Throughout the year, Elliott made 30/32FG’s, and 45/46XP’s.
Some impactful kicks that saved games include:
- The Eagles only points in the 2nd half against the Patriots Week 1. With kicks made from 56, 51 and 48 yards.
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The Commanders Week 4 Overtime game, that frankly didn’t need Overtime. From 54 yards.
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To give the Eagles a chance in OT to beat the Bills, was this 59 yard FG.
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Elliott scored 15 of the Eagles 33 points in the Week 16 win against the Giants. Going 4/4 FG including 3XP.
Makes sense why the Eagles locked up Elliott to a 4-Year extension worth $24M this offseason. Now under contract until 2028.
Darius Slay
Coming into his 5th season on the Eagles. Slay has seen it all. From the Nate Gerry seasons, to the start and end of the Gannon Era, and then most of whatever Sean Desai and Matt Patricia brought to the table.
Slay missed 4 games near the end of the Eagles season, including the games against the Seahawks, Cardinals and Giants. Perhaps if the Eagles had their true CB1 to end the year some of the defensive lapses that cost them games could have been prevented.
However with a new year brings new opportunity. And if Slay ends up as a Captain again, there’s going to be higher standards for a presences many doubted during the turmoil of the Eagles collapse. And with all the new Cornerbacks looking to make their own roster spot.
If the 6x Pro-Bowler is able to return to form, the Eagles secondary could become one of the best in the league after this years draft class.
The Eagles report to Training Camp in 11 days. Where we’ll get another weeks look at the team before their open practice on August 1st.
What rookies are you going to have your eye on?
Photo Credit: Bill Streicher / USA Today Sports
Tyler L’Heureux
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Current Roster Candidates for the Eagles’ Hall of Fame – Philadelphia Sports Nation
The Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame is an exclusive place where only the best of the best can find their names. Which current players might find themselves there, as well?
Shoo-in: Lane Johnson, Brandon Graham
Both of the players here have had incredibly long and successful careers with Philadelphia, essentially making them locks for the team’s Hall of Fame. These are two different cases, so let’s take a look.
Lane Johnson is one of the most accomplished Eagles ever, being one of the best players on the Eagles’ Super Bowl roster in 2017, plus being a five-time Pro Bowler and a two-time first-team All-Pro. He has played in 143 regular season games with the Birds from 2013 to the present, so he has seen a lot in his tenure.
Speaking of a player who has seen a lot, we get to Brandon Graham. It took him a while to spread his wings and fly, but he was one of the best Eagles at his peak—he was a key figure on the Super Bowl team and several elite defenses. Making perhaps the biggest play in team history, putting up 73 sacks in 195 games, plus receiving a Pro Bowl nod in 2020, there’s just no way that Philadelphia can leave him out.
More Likely Than Not: Jake Elliott
Jake Elliott has been at it long enough to deserve to be in the “shoo-in” territory here, but he has been an Eagle for about half the time as Johnson and Graham. Still, that doesn’t mean he is any less incredible. Yes, he is a kicker, but he has consistently been a great one.
Elliott has flourished in the clutch, which is an area where many other kickers falter. He was terrific in 2017, and from there he has really only gotten better. Over these past few seasons, he has gotten a Pro Bowl nod and been a second-team All-Pro. One of the NFL’s most accurate kickers from 2021-2023, he has seemingly already done enough to join David Akers in the Eagles Hall of Fame.
Maybe/Too Early to Tell: Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown, Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Jalen Carter, Rick Lovato
This is the territory where we get the most subjective. They won’t all get in, but all of these seven players at least deserve a mention.
Jalen Hurts’ case is pretty obvious. He has only completed three seasons as the Eagles’ starting quarterback thus far, but his time in Philadelphia over just the last two seasons has been sensational. He finished second in MVP voting in 2022 and was the favorite at some points during 2023, so the potential is there. The 25-year-old still has a lot to show before he can be put in the Eagles Hall of Fame with players like Randall Cunningham and Donovan McNabb, but there is definitely a world where it happens.
DeVonta Smith has even more to prove than Hurts does, but we shouldn’t put it past him to be among the Eagles’ greats. Averaging over 1,000 receiving yards across his first three seasons in the NFL, the 25-year-old is clearly pretty special. He has a ton of talent and is a big reason why Philadelphia made it to the Super Bowl in 2022, so he has that going for him. If he can win a championship or have a long tenure with the Eagles, that would be his ticket to eternal glory.
A.J. Brown is our first player here to not be drafted by the Eagles, but he is freshly 27 years of age and has put up two of the best receiving seasons in the history of the team. From 2022-2023, he has an incredible 2,952 yards and 18 touchdowns on 194 receptions. If he can keep that up for a few more years, it would be an inevitability for him to make the team Hall of Fame.
Jordan Mailata is an interesting case because he doesn’t have any accolades on his resume, but it is clear from both the eye test and the advanced stats test that he is sensational. The 27-year-old tackle is lovable and genuinely really good at what he does. He would probably need a Super Bowl win and perhaps some individual accolades to make an Eagles Hall of Fame nod happen, but it’s not like either of those are unrealistic.
Landon Dickerson is in a similar boat, but he has two Pro Bowl nods through just three seasons in the league. The Eagles projecting to be a great team both now and in the future should do wonders for his Hall of Fame case—a championship could set him over the top.
Jalen Carter, while just a sophomore in the NFL, lived up to his draft hype in his rookie campaign. Finishing second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2023, greatness could be in his future. We shouldn’t get too ahead of ourselves, but there is obvious potential here.
Rick Lovato probably deserves to be considered, but he is also a long-snapper. He has played in 118 regular season games with the Eagles, has a Super Bowl championship to his name, and made the Pro Bowl in 2019. Perhaps it’s a stretch considering the position, but maybe it’s time to give a long snapper some love. Really, there is not much else he could have accomplished at this stage, so he deserves a mention.
Seeing as the Eagles have 10 different players on their current roster who could potentially make it to the team Hall of Fame (and perhaps a few more), there’s a lot of greatness in their group. Some of them are bigger stretches than others, but there is still an immense level of talent in their 2024 roster. Can they put it all together?
Justin Giampietro
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How the NFL’s New Kickoff Rule Can Help the Eagles – Philadelphia Sports Nation
The NFL’s new kickoff rules will mark a big change in how special teams are played. With a touchback now resulting in the ball being placed at the receiving team’s 30-yard line, scoring should increase, as should large special teams gains — there will be more incentive for kickers to keep the ball in play.
But what does this all mean for the Philadelphia Eagles? How can they use this new format to their advantage? What are some of the more hidden impacts of said format?
How the Eagles’ Offense Can be Aided
For starters, kickoff returns should skyrocket. 97 percent of kickoffs were returned in the XFL last season with the rule in place versus just 22 percent in the NFL. There will be more big kickoff plays, but the average spot of the ball after the kickoff will still probably be around the touchback area at the 30 — that was the case when touchbacks put the ball at the receiving team’s 25, so it’s a reasonable conclusion.
If punt returner Britain Covey, who had a solid season in 2023, serves as the primary kick returner, it might give the Eagles an advantage there. He has pulled off some big plays in the past, so that could set the Birds up for success over some other contenders.
Looking at it from an on-average basis, there will only be an increase of about five yards from 2023 to this season. But how much can five extra yards really help the Eagles, though? Well, they arguably have the best long-range kicker in the NFL. Jake Elliott has hit kicks in bad weather from almost 60 yards out and has hit kicks from a legitimate 60 yards out before. The average yards per drive in the NFL last season was 25.9, so that would put the average drive around an opponent’s 44-yard line if that number held up. It likely won’t, but it’s the best we have. Regardless, getting those six yards past midfield would result in a 61-yard field goal. That’s in Elliott’s range.
Is that feasible to hit regularly? No. In a situation where the Eagles need points late in a half, though, they might go for it. Instead of kneeling to end the first half as so many teams do, they might go for points. They have the offensive firepower to do so. Also, the epic 13-second field goal drive the Kansas City Chiefs pulled off against the Buffalo Bills in the 2021 playoffs could be repeated more easily. Those five yards really do have an impact.
On drives where the Eagles end up going three-and-out, their defense won’t be in an awful spot. If they get, say, seven yards, that would have them at their own 37. A punt inside or around the 20 from there isn’t unrealistic. The same applies to all teams, but the Eagles have an elite offense that can take advantage of short-yardage better than anyone. A good offense can score from wherever — Philadelphia’s new play-calling should help with that.
How the Eagles’ Defense Might Be Affected
It will now be — albeit probably slightly — easier for teams to enter the red zone. The problem with that? The Eagles sacrificed touchdowns more than almost anyone when they got in that range last season. Sixty-five percent of red zone drives led to touchdowns against Philadelphia in 2023, which was the fourth-worst mark in the league. They were around the league average in 2022, so maybe a return to form is in order.
Other than that, some of the same things apply. Perhaps it could be valuable for the Eagles’ defensive line to get a little more rest on touchdown drives, though. Since it is such an asset for them and that position tends to get the most tired on long drives, having less yardage be necessary for the average touchdown might save their breath. A play or two could be taken off on average. The big guys will appreciate that, for sure.
The new NFL kickoff format might have you believe that only special teams will be impacted. In reality, offenses and defenses will have to adjust as much as anyone.
If they can adapt accordingly, the Eagles can use the new rules to their advantage. Everything from good coaching to actual play on the field will have to be prevalent to make that happen.
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Justin Giampietro
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