For the fourth time in his career, Eagles kicker Jake Elliott has been named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
Elliott became the first kicker in Eagles history to make four field goals on opening day, hitting from 32, 48, 51 and 56 yards in a 25-20 win over the Patriots in Foxboro.
Elliott is the first kicker in Eagles history to make three field goals of 48 yards or more in a game and the first to make two 50-yarders in a second half. The only other Eagles kicker to make two 50-yarders in any half is Paul McFadden, who hit from 51 and 52 yards in the first half in a 23-23 tie against the Lions at the Silverdome in 1984.
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Elliott is now 5-for-6 in his career from 56 yards and out, and his 83 percent accuracy from 56-plus is tied for highest in NFL history by a kicker with at least five attempts. Harrison Butker of the Chiefs is also 5-for-6. Only six kickers in NFL history have made more kicks of 56 yards and up.
Elliott became the second kicker in NFL history to make three field goals from at least 48 yards in a season opener. Nick Lowery of the Chiefs made kicks of 48, 52 and 52 yards in the Chiefs’ 47-27 win over the Saints at the Superdome in 1985.
With his 56-yarder Sunday, Elliott is now responsible for eight of the Eagles’ 13-longest field goals in franchise history – from 54 yards and out. No other Eagles kicker has made more than one from at least 54 yards.
The only players in Eagles history named Player of the Week more than Elliott are Donovan McNabb (eight), David Akers (seven) and DeSean Jackson (five).
NFL
Elliott was the only kicker to make multiple 50-yard field goals opening weekend. He’s now 21-for-31 in his career from at least 50 yards.
Elliott’s 13 total points Sunday are 5th-most by an Eagle on opening day behind Wilbert Montgomery (18 in 1982), Terrell Owens (18 in 2004), Bobby Walston (15 in 1961) and Jay Ajayi (14 in 2018).
This is the second consecutive year an Eagle has been named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week on opening day. Last year, cornerback Zech McPhearson received the honor after recovering an Austin Seibert onsides kick in the third quarter of the Eagles’ win over the Lions in Detroit.
The last time Elliott was named Special Teams Player of the Week was for the season-ending win over the Giants last year, when he went 5-for-5 on field goal attempts – including kicks of 52 and 54 yards - as the Eagles clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. That tied the most by an Eagles kicker in a game since Tom Dempsey made six against the Oilers in 1972.