Commanders fear a 'legendary' career might have just ended

MINNEAPOLIS – The Washington Commanders’ spiraling season seems to be circling the drain for a painfully long period instead of just running down into the pipes and out of sight.

While the 31-0 loss to the Minnesota Vikings was bad enough, nothing a scoreboard can reflect would ever top the biggest heartbreaking moment of the Commanders’ Week 14 loss.

Because when tight end Zach Ertz went down with what is feared to be an ACL injury, it wasn’t just the end of his season in Washington, it was the potential ending to what will go down as a legendary, if not Hall of Fame, career.

Nov 16, 2025; Madrid, Spain; Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz (86) lines up against the Miami Dolphins in the first half during the 2025 NFL Madrid Game at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

A Legend's Career in Jeopardy?

The game was already heading far in the wrong direction when quarterback Marcus Mariota was thrust into action after Jayden Daniels aggravated his left elbow injury. Trying to make a play for his team, Mariota targeted Ertz with a pass to the left side of the field. While trying to make the catch, Ertz was hit low by a Vikings defender, and immediately–even from the second level of US Bank Stadium, you could tell it was bad.

Just like that, it wasn’t just the game that was lost, but a key leader on the team, and the potential of the remaining season for that player.

“He's one of the linchpins of our team,” receiver Terry McLaurin said about Ertz after the game. “Just a leader who's been here for the last two years, has really led by example and been vocal."

"That one hurt,” Mariota said. “It's never easy to see a guy go down, but it's someone who not only is a leader of this group, but just one of the all-time guys that I've ever been around."

Nov 13, 2025; Madrid, Spain; Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz at press conference at Ciudad Deportiva del Real Madrid. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Tears in the Locker Room

With Ertz in tears on the sideline, both he and Mariota were emotional as the tight end left the field on a cart. In the postgame locker room, there were tears as well, and they had nothing to do with the loss or the fact that the Commanders were eliminated from playoff contention because of it.

"Early signs say serious injury for Zach,” head coach Dan Quinn shared after the game. “And that's hard, man... And to see the frustration and emotion with that, all of us are feeling that up."

“To see him go down, I ain't going to lie, it was tough for everybody, especially, it just didn't look good... injuries are the worst part of our game, honestly," McLaurin also said.

“It's always tough to get hurt, especially when the whole world sees you get hurt," linebacker Bobby Wagner shared.

Ertz signed back-to-back one-year deals to reunite with coach Kliff Kingsbury in Washington starting last season, and as a result, not only reinvigorated his career but also helped put the burgundy and gold back on the map.

While he hadn’t had the most consistent season of his career this year, he’d still been one of the key parts of the team, and one of the most successful through all the turmoil 2025 brought with it.

Rallying for the Finish

“We got to try to find a way to just rally support for those guys while they go through their rehab process,” McLaurin, who has been dealing with injuries himself this season, said. “Sucks to see too, your best players and leaders go down, and they've been very supportive of me when I was hurt, so I'm just going to try to do the same as them."

The NFL has a 100 percent injury rate, it’s said, and it isn’t a matter of if you get hurt, but when. Ertz is no stranger to injury, though this one feels a bit heavier. Still, when the time comes, Ertz’s message will no doubt be one of competing, and his teammates know that nobody is going to take it easy on them because they’ve gotten weaker at the tight end position.

"It sucks to get kicked in the gut like this, but we don't have time to lay our heads and feel sorry for ourselves,” McLaurin said on that topic. “Nobody's going to feel sorry for us. I don't feel sorry for us."

"Sometimes things just don't go your way, and you feel in the moment, and you hurt in the moment,” says Wagner. “And then you get back to work."

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