Three former Stanford football stars who are pivotal to their NFL team's playoff push

It is time for the NFL playoff push, with a few former Stanford stars becoming focal points in their team's quest to reach the postseason.

Dec 1, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz (86) celebrates a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images / Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images

Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders

Signing a one-year deal this past offseason in order to provide a veteran presence to a new-look Commanders team, it is now time for Ertz to really start living up to his contract and be the face of this playoff push.

Currently sitting in second place in the NFC East, at 8-5, and possessing the seventh seed in the NFC playoff standings, the Commanders are right in the race and with four games left, and will need major leadership to help get them to the finish line.

Ertz has had a resurgent season, having caught 52 passes for 501 yards and four touchdowns, and has helped rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels become a front runner for Offensive Rookie of the Year. With extensive playoff experience, including a Super Bowl LII championship, Ertz will be key for a deep Commanders postseason run.

Justin Reid, Kansas City Chiefs

The last two seasons have ended with the Chiefs hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, with the franchise having quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce at the forefront of the dynastic achievements.

But this season, the defense has had to really step things up and deliver, as despite the team currently possessing a 12-1 record, almost every win has been by within only a score. Reid, who has been a consistent presence in the defensive backfield since arriving in Kansas City prior to the 2022 season, has had himself another strong campaign in which he has made 72 tackles and recorded an interception, being a big reason why the defense has been able to come up big and allow the Chiefs to narrowly escape with wins.

The games will only start to have higher stakes, with teams such as the Buffalo Bills looking like a major threat, and with 2024 looking like it will have to be the defense that pulls through, it means that Reid will have to really step it up down the stretch.

Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans

After a divisional playoff loss last year, the Texans made it a point to surround second year quarterback C.J. Stroud with even more playmakers, acquiring wide receiver Stefon Diggs from the Buffalo Bills and running back Joe Mixon from the Cincinnati Bengals.

With all that to go along with the incumbent pieces made it look like Schultz would take more of a backseat and resort to being more of a blocking tight end than in year’s past. However with Diggs now out for the season with an injury and Mixon having dealt with some ailments of his own this year, Schultz has had more moments of needing to step up, such as when he put together a seven catch for 61 yard and a touchdown day in the Texans’ most recent game.

Becoming more of a reserve in his final years in Dallas, Schultz came to Houston to be the primary tight end and give Stroud another veteran to work with, and with the amount of playoff experience he got with the Cowboys, his leadership for yet another Houston playoff push will be the key.