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After being waived by the Cincinnati Bengals in the offseason, 22-year-old Jake Elliott made the most out of his opportunity as the Philadelphia Eagles' starting kicker after an untimely injury to Caleb Sturgis.
Elliott, a fifth-round pick out of Memphis who was re-signed by the Bengals as a member of their practice squad after being waived before being dealt to Philly, turned out to be a godsend for the Eagles. Elliott capped off a thrilling divisional showdown in Week 3 against the New York Giants by kicking an impressive game-winner through the uprights. His 61-yard field goal set a new franchise record in Philadelphia, as well as a new NFL record for a rookie kicker.
Sunday's game also marked Elliott's first home game as a pro, and it was pretty certain that the former All-American's parents were going to be in attendance. As luck would have it, the Eagles' Twitter account caught a shot of Elliott's folks in the stands as their son etched his name into the Eagles' and the NFL's record books. Their reactions couldn't be more priceless:
Probably the best reaction from @LFFStadium: Jake Elliott's parents. #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/5sy9IKjk0L
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) September 24, 2017
While Elliott's mom's elation is apparent, his dad's reaction was a bit more contained. But, upon a closer look, it was obvious that his pops was holding back tears of joy after witnessing his son make their family proud.
Elliott was far from perfect that Sunday, as he also missed a 52-yard field-goal attempt in the third quarter that would've put the Eagles up by two possessions. Then again, it's always sweeter to redeem yourself with a game-winner instead, especially such a historic one.
