Commanders helped former Philadelphia Eagles TE Zach Ertz fall back in love with football
Zach Ertz knows exactly what type of environment to expect when he walks into Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday as a member of the Washington Commanders in the NFC championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The former Eagles great is no stranger to high-stakes games in South Philly, and he believes the rest of his team is ready.
"You can't go out there and try and be Superman or put your cape on," Ertz said. "You gotta go out there and play really good football for four quarters and eliminate as many mistakes as possible, and ultimately, it will come down to who makes the most plays."
Ertz, 34, spent his first nine NFL seasons with the Eagles. After the team selected him in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft out of Stanford University, he became one of the best pass catchers in franchise history and helped the team win its first Super Bowl. He made one of the game's biggest plays by catching the go-ahead touchdown pass in the win over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
Ertz ranks fifth all-time in franchise history in receiving yards, second all-time in catches and seventh all-time in receiving touchdowns.
Sunday's NFC title game won't be the first time he'll be in the Linc as an opposing player. He had six catches for 47 yards and a touchdown in Week 11 as the Eagles defeated the Commanders 26-18.
"I think being able to go back there early in the season for the first time as an opponent, I got a lot of the emotions out of the way per se," Ertz said. "It's not going to be the first time I'm seeing people that I hadn't seen in a long time. For me, I understand the environment it's going to be, I understand how I'm going to be recepted vs. last time probably because they got a lot at stake as well.
"Everyone knows how I feel about that building, the people in that building, the people in that community. Our foundation is still doing work out there for a reason. At the same time, I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that we're giving ourselves a chance to win the football game. When the whistle blows, it's not going to be about the nine years that I had there, it's going to be about trying to make as many plays for this team as possible."
When the Eagles traded Ertz to the Arizona Cardinals midway through the 2021 season, he broke down in tears during a press conference saying goodbye to Birds fans. Philadelphia became home to the California native.
The veteran tight end's years in Arizona were tough. He dealt with multiple knee injuries, and the Cardinals struggled.
Ertz signed with the Commanders in the offseason and has been a key part of the team's offense with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.
In 2024, Ertz put up his best numbers since 2019. He had 66 catches, 654 yards and seven receiving touchdowns, which ranked second on the team. In the divisional-round win over the Detroit Lions, he had five catches for 28 yards and a touchdown.
Ertz said the 2024 season has helped him fall back in love with football.
"When Kliff [Kingsbury] got this job and [Dan Quinn] got this job, it was really an opportunity for me to just fall back in love with the game again, I would say, and really just enjoy the process again and just be around people that know how to use me and allow me to be at my best," Ertz said. "It's just been so much fun. It's exceeded all my expectations."
A massive factor in Ertz's falling back in love with football was the opportunity to play with Daniels, the favorite to win the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.
Ertz had high praise for the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback. Among playoff quarterbacks, Daniels ranks first in passing yards and fourth in completion percentage and has tossed four touchdowns in two games with a 116.2 quarterback rating.
Ertz thinks Daniels and the Commanders' offense is just scratching the surface.
"From the moment he first got here, he was the first one in the building studying as much as possible," Ertz said. "He was very proactive in his approach to being great. Obviously, the physical tools have stood out, I've said that many of times from the moment he got here. You don't get drafted No. 2 overall without the physical tools, but it's really his approach that has set him apart in my opinion and is going to continue to set him apart for as long as he wants to play in this league."