The Giants came to Philadelphia hoping to kickstart their season. Instead, Eagles kicker Jake Elliott booted them from the playoff race.
In his NFL debut last week against the Chiefs, Elliott, a rookie out of Memphis, missed a 30-yard chip shot. Against the Giants he hit a kick twice as long, nailing a 61-yard, game-winning field goal to seal a win, 27-24, against the team’s division rival and move the Eagles to 2-1. Elliott, who was mobbed and carried off the field by his teammates, was asked postgame what it felt like to be a hero. “I don’t even know,” Elliott said. “I don’t know what’s going on right now.”
The kick was a redemption of sorts for Elliott. In the third quarter, he missed a 52-yard field goal wide left. He shook off the miss and hit a 46-yarder to tie the game at 24 in the fourth quarter before crushing the game winner as time expired. The 5-foot-9, 167-pound kicker was drafted in the fifth round by the Bengals, who cut him a few weeks ago. Three weeks later, he become just the 15th kicker since 1960 to make a field goal of 60 yards or more, and can get free cheesesteaks anywhere in the city of Philadelphia for the foreseeable future.
For the Giants, it’s another devastating loss. They were scoreless for three quarters, and then dropped 24 points in the fourth, evaporating a 14-point Eagles lead during a wild stretch in which Giants safety Landon Collins forced a fumble and Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. racked up two touchdowns (and a flag for an interesting celebration) to tie the game at 14-14. But the Giants defense failed them right as the offense picked up, giving up 13 points in the fourth quarter. The Giants now have a Herculean climb to the postseason, as no 0-3 team has made the playoffs this century.
The Giants are sinking, but with Jake Elliott, the Eagles are flying high.
