No Philadelphia Eagles player or coach is feeling particularly great about how the Week 5 London game against the Jacksonville Jaguars ended, after a disastrous finish.
After Jake Elliott what should have been the game-winning field goal with eight seconds left, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni told Elliott to kick it to Jacksonville for a return to kill the clock. That was a fatal mistake: the Jaguars returned it into field goal range, and Cam Little finished it with a game-winning 57-yard field goal. The Eagles lost 19-17.
When Sirianni spoke with the media, he took responsibility for the kickoff decision. Elliott also had to face the music for the move.
Jake Elliott Talks Philadelphia Eagles Final Kickoff
Elliott was in the locker room where a swarm of reporters asked him about the kickoff. The Eagles kicker gave reporters a straight answer about what he was thinking.
“Honestly, kind of like he said, there was so little time for me to kind of gather myself between those two things. I just went out and did what I was told. I wish it obviously turned out better.”
The Eagles have not called on Elliott often this season, but he has made all four of his field goals and all nine of his extra points. This follows back-to-back seasons in which he hit less than 80% of his field goals.
Jake Elliott Did His Job & the Eagles Lost
The Eagles dropped to 2-3, with a three-game losing streak. It’s also the second straight game where Philly blew a fourth-quarter lead.
There will be a lot of conversation about how the Eagles handled the end of that game, with too many mistakes. Their clock management on the final offensive drive and the decision to kick off. Overall, the Eagles’ play was not good.
It’s going to be a long week, and the Eagles will need to improve and answer for their mistakes. Sirianni, in particular, will have to take the brunt of the criticism because of how he handled things.
Next up on the schedule is the Carolina Panthers, who have one of the best passing attacks in the NFL. Bryce Young is one of the leading passers, which will give the Panthers an advantage over the Eagles.
Philly’s defense isn’t the problem, as it played well against Jacksonville. The issue is the offense not getting into a consistent rhythm.
Watch how the Philadelphia Eagles respond to the loss. The hope is that they can get back some of their key injured star players.
Jake Elliott Made Blunt Confession After Eagles’ Kickoff Debacle Leading to Loss