Stanford legend hauls in first touchdown of 2024 in win over the Carolina Panthers

Ertz has been a big addition to Washington's offense and now he has a touchdown to show for it.

Oct 20, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz (86) catches a touchdown pass as Carolina Panthers cornerback Dane Jackson (23) defends during the second quarter at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images / Amber Searls-Imagn Images

The first half was nearing a close, but the Washington Commanders still opted to run another play, hoping to add onto their 20-0 lead over the Carolina Panthers to really run away with the game. With 14 seconds left before halftime, Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota, who was filling in for an injured Jayden Daniels, took the snap out of pistol, dropped back and delivered a perfect pass to Zach Ertz in the end zone, marking the first time all season that Ertz has scored.

Suffering a rib injury early against the 1-5 Panthers, Daniels was forced to come out of the game, allowing Mariota the chance to show what he could do. Taking control of the game early, scoring 10 unanswered points in the first quarter and 10 in the second to go up 20-0, the Commanders then found themselves in the red zone once again with around 15 seconds to go in the first half. When Mariota dropped back to pass on 1st and 10, he rolled out slightly to his right and with Ertz only being covered by one defender, threw a perfect 12 yard pass to him that was caught in the end zone. 

By that point, Washington was able to take a 27-0 lead into the half which was comfortable enough for them to go back out in the second half and take care of business. Only allowing one Panthers score all game, a fourth quarter touchdown run by Chubba Hubbard, the Commanders were able to win 40-7 without Daniels to improve to 5-2, their best start to a season since 2008.

On the day, Ertz finished with four catches for 40 yards and his touchdown, trailing only Terry McLaurin as the team’s leading receiver for the game. Putting together one of his best performances of the season, Ertz now has 25 catches for 268 yards and is the second leading receiver overall in Washington behind only McLaurin.

Dealing with injuries the last couple of seasons, ultimately finishing the 2023 season on the Detroit Lions’ practice squad, Ertz has enjoyed a resurgent campaign and along with the rise of Daniels, has been a major reason for the Commanders evolving into one of the NFC’s best and most surprising teams.

After enjoying a dominant career with Stanford from 2009-2012, Ertz was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles with the 35th overall pick in the 2013 draft and evolved into one of the league’s best tight ends during his eight and a half year stay in Philly, earning three consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl from 2017-2019 and winning a Super Bowl title during the 2017 season.

With Daniels’ status still unclear heading into week eight and the Commanders fighting to stay atop the NFC East standings, Ertz will be looked at to be an even bigger leader as the team prepares for another tough matchup against the red-hot 4-2 Chicago Bears. Kickoff is slated for 1:25 p.m. (PT)/ 3:25 p.m. (CT).