Who Should I Start? Matt Prater or Jake Elliott

Friday, January 3, 12:10 PM

Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said that veteran kicker Matt Prater (knee) "will not go" in the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the division-rival San Francisco 49ers. Prater suffered a meniscus injury in his knee earlier this year and missed the last three months as a result. The 40-year-old kicker only ended up playing in four games in 2024 before injuring his knee in his fourth year with Arizona and 18th year in the NFL. In the four games he was active, Prater made all six of his field-goal attempts (one from 50-plus yards) and was successful on all 10 of his extra-point tries as well. Prater will be a free agent heading into his age-41 season in 2025. Chad Ryland will close out the year this weekend as Arizona's kicker. He's bounced back from a tough rookie season with the Pats to go 26-for-30 on field goals and 21-for-22 on extra points in his 12 games with the Cardinals.

Monday, February 10, 12:41 AM

Philadelphia Eagles kicker Jake Elliott went 4-for-4 on field goals and 4-for-4 on extra points during Sunday's Super Bowl win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Although Elliott was very shaky from beyond 50 yards during the regular season, he seemed to have no trouble with distance this Sunday, converting from 29, 48, 48, and 50 yards out. Furthermore, most of his attempts went straight down the middle and had plenty of distance to spare. Those who stuck with Elliott through his 2024 woes were brave souls, and the investment paid off with Elliott's busy night on Sunday.