Washington Commanders

Zach Ertz isn't ready to hang up the cleats just yet.

"I just want to make that clear—that I'm not retiring," the Washington Commanders tight end told reporters Monday. "I had so much fun this year. I feel rejuvenated. I feel young. This is the most amount of games I've played in a season at 34 and I felt like I played good football this year. So, for me, it's just figuring out everything going forward. And they know how I feel about this place."

The next question is whether he will return to Washington, as he is scheduled for free agency this offseason. But he sounded like he didn't want to go anywhere.

"I think just being able to be here with the group of guys, the people, the quarterback, Kliff [Kingsbury], DQ [Dan Quinn], has just really allowed me to enjoy every single day," he said. "A lot of time when you're in a tough spot, the weight of just everything is heavy. And so this year just felt freeing, to just go out there and just being able to be myself every day—people that built me up in a way that they believe in me, they have confidence in me to go do what I do.

"And, obviously, playing with Jayden [Daniels] was extremely fun. It was a one-year [deal] so far, but I feel like we're just scratching the surface as a quarterback and tight end combination."

That Ertz wants to continue playing with Daniels comes as no surprise.

After all, the future is bright in Washington in large part because of the quarterback who is well on his way to taking home the Offensive Rookie of the Year in his first season. He completely transformed the organizational outlook in his first season and led the Commanders to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since the 1991 campaign.

Having a veteran like Ertz certainly helped Daniels adjust to the NFL, and the tight end was second on the team in receiving yards (654) behind only star wide receiver Terry McLaurin.

It was an important bounce-back showing for the 34-year-old beyond just the individual stats, as he played all 17 games after appearing in just seven in 2023. It was also the first time he has played more than 10 games in a season since the 2021 one.

There was a time when Ertz was one of the best tight ends in the league who went to three straight Pro Bowls and won one Super Bowl from the 2017 campaign through the 2019 one when he was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Yet it was fair to wonder if his best days were behind him when he signed a one-year deal with Washington ahead of the 2024 campaign given his injury history and age.

He answered those doubts and then some as a critical part of the Commanders' aerial attack, and it was clear he developed plenty of chemistry with Daniels as the season progressed. He also consistently took advantage of the double teams McLaurin would draw and would likely continue to do so if he remains in Washington next season and beyond.

Jayden Daniels had an excellent rookie season, but it ended one game short of a Super Bowl thanks to Sunday's 55-23 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

He wasn't thrilled about it in the aftermath.

"This sucks," he told reporters. "This s--t sucks. Excuse my language but I couldn't be prouder of my guys."

The loss certainly wasn't Daniels' fault.

He was 29-of-48 passing for 255 yards, one touchdown and one interception while adding 48 yards and a score on the ground as a runner. His individual play kept the visitors within striking distance in the early going, but there were eventually too many mistakes to overcome.

Philadelphia scored touchdowns on two different drives that were preserved by third-down penalties by Marshon Lattimore and Mike Sainristil.

The mistakes didn't end there, as Jeremy McNichols lost a fumble on a kickoff, Austin Ekeler lost a fumble when fighting for extra yards and Dyami Brown lost a fumble as well. Washington turned it over four times in all, which set the Eagles offense up in short fields as the home team gradually seized control of the game.

There was even a point when Washington's penalties became almost amusing, as it repeatedly went offside at the goal line until the officials warned they could award the Eagles with a score if the pattern continued.

Daniels' season won't be defined by Sunday's loss.

Rather, he is well on his way to winning Offensive Rookie of the Year and helped the Commanders advance to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since the 1991 campaign.

The future is bright for the franchise, and he is the primary reason for it.

Still, as his postgame comments suggested, it will surely take some time to get over falling just one win short of the Super Bowl.

Few people understand what it takes to reach the championship mountaintop in sports better than Magic Johnson, and the NBA legend wasn't thrilled his Washington Commanders fell just a game short of the Super Bowl with Sunday's 55-23 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.

Johnson, who is part of the ownership group with the Commanders, took to social media and bemoaned some of the mistakes that cost his team:

It is notable the Hall of Famer highlighted the turnovers and penalties, as self-inflicted mistakes were the theme of the game for the Commanders.

While Jayden Daniels played fairly well as he threw for 255 yards and ran for 48 more, the visitors turned it over four times and committed nine penalties. Some of the penalties, such as a pass interference on Marshon Lattimore and a late hit out of bounds on Mike Sainristil, kept drives alive that ended in Philadelphia touchdowns.

As for the turnovers, lost fumbles by Dyami Brown and Jeremy McNichols set up touchdowns for the home team and undercut some of the momentum the Commanders built at times in the middle of the game.

It was a disappointing afternoon for the Commanders, although it was still an incredible overall campaign for the NFC East team. After all, it advanced to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since the 1991 campaign and has an excellent young quarterback in Daniels leading the way.

If his performance in his first season was any indication, this won't be the last time Daniels has a chance to reach the Super Bowl.

And Johnson will surely be thrilled to cheer him on the next time as well.

The Philadelphia Eagles are going to the Super Bowl for the second time in three years, while the Washington Commanders are left thinking about what could have been if they didn't make so many mistakes.

Philadelphia defeated its division rival 55-23 in Sunday's NFC Championship Game at Lincoln Financial Field to clinch a spot on the sport's biggest stage. Saquon Barkley ran for 118 yards and three touchdowns, while Jalen Hurts accounted for 246 passing yards and four total touchdowns.

Hurts' counterpart, Jayden Daniels, continued his excellent rookie season by throwing for 255 yards and one touchdown and running for 48 yards and a score. However, the Commanders turned it over four times and committed nine penalties, many of which proved particularly costly as the Eagles pulled away.

Social media called out Washington for the self-inflicted mistakes:

Logic dictated that Washington would have to play a nearly perfect game to win on the road in Philadelphia, but it was anything but perfect. In fact, self-destructing was the name of the game for the visitors from the early going.

Multiple defenders couldn't wrap up on clear tackle chances during Barkley's 60-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage for the Philadelphia offense. That wasn't the only mistake involving the defense and Barkley, as Mike Sainristil's late hit out of bounds on the star running back on a third down preserved a drive that ended in an A.J. Brown touchdown catch.

Throw in Marshon Lattimore's pass interference in the end zone to set up a Hurts touchdown run, Dyami Brown losing a fumble to set up Barkley's second touchdown and Jeremy McNichols losing a fumble on a kickoff return to set up a touchdown, and it was a marvel that the Commanders were down just 12 at halftime.

That is largely a testament to Daniels, who maintained his poise while many of his teammates didn't and used his arm and legs to consistently make plays against Philadelphia's defense. The high point was a touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin, but he also moved the offense into field goal range in the final seconds before intermission to build some momentum.

Yet halftime did nothing to change the pattern.

Daniels answered another Hurts touchdown run with a touchdown run of his own only for Austin Ekeler to lose a fumble right when the Commanders had the momentum and a chance to pull within one score.

Naturally, the Eagles parlayed that into another Hurts touchdown but only after the officials warned Washington if it didn't stop jumping offsides so many times at the goal line they could award Philadelphia with a touchdown.

Fittingly, the Eagles put the game away on their next touchdown when Barkley found the end zone again after yet another pass interference penalty moved the ball inside the Washington 10-yard line.

The 2024 campaign was a memorable one for the Commanders as they advanced to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since the 1991 season, but it will be a long offseason thinking back on all the mistakes they made Sunday.

NFL officials are allowed to do what?

The Washington Commanders tried to counter the Philadelphia Eagles' infamous "Tush Push" by intentionally committing goal-line infractions in an effort to disrupt the play. This led officials to issue a warning, threatening to award the Eagles a touchdown if the tactic persisted.

Commanders and NFL fans were stunned by the development, unaware such a rule existed until ESPN's Jeff Darlington and Kevin Seifert confirmed it on social media.

The controversial sequence began with Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts attempting a quarterback sneak on second-and-goal early in the fourth quarter, with Philadelphia leading 34-23. The play resulted in Commanders defensive lineman Jonathan Allen being penalized for encroachment.

As the Eagles lined up again, Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu drew another penalty by leaping over the line and making contact with Hurts while the rest of the players remained set.

Undeterred, the Eagles tried the "Tush Push" once more and Hurts used a hard count, prompting Luvu to leap over the line again, drawing yet another flag. Sensing the play-stopping pattern, Allen shifted early on the Eagles' next "Tush Push," earning another penalty. At this point, officials issued a warning to the Commanders for the repeated infractions, threatening further consequences if the tactic continued.

Following the announcement that the officials would award the Eagles with a score, Philadelphia pushed again, this time successfully and increasing their lead to 41-23.

"Simply put, a team can't commit multiple fouls in an effort to prevent the score," referee Shawn Hochuli told a pool reporter after the game, per ESPN's John Keim. "If it's meant to prevent a score we can essentially award the score."

The "Tush Push" proved to be too much as the Eagles took a commanding 55-23 victory over the Commanders, registering seven rushing touchdowns.

Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels has the top-selling jersey across all sports since the start of the new year, per The Washington Posts' Rick Maese and Joe Heim.

In addition, Daniels has held the top-selling NFL jersey on Fanatics this season. The Commanders and Daniels have also been the top-selling team and jersey since the start of the playoffs, per Maese and Heim.

On the apparel website BreakingT, Washington's sales have surged by 463 percent from last season and team merchandise sales have skyrocketed by 4,129 percent since clinching a playoff spot a month ago, company president Jamie Mottram told Maese and Heim.

In the Commanders' 23-20 NFC Wild Card victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jayden Daniels posted 268 yards and two touchdowns on 24-of-35 completions.

Building on his impressive NFL playoff debut, Daniels led the Commanders to a 45-31 NFC Divisional Playoff victory over the No. 1-ranked Detroit Lions, recording 299 passing yards and two touchdowns on 22-of-31 completions.

The 24-year-old has yet to throw an interception in a postseason game.

Daniels has recorded 3,568 passing yards this season with 25 touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 70.5, leading the Commanders to the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The rookie has been nothing but special since his entry into the NFL after being selected No. 2 in the 2024 NFL Draft, something that veteran tight end Zach Ertz noticed immediately.

"I was telling everyone that would listen how good he would be," Ertz said, per ESPN's John Keim. "Just something got me really excited. I knew there would be some growing pains, but his ability to work and his humility to get better is what sets him apart."

The inkling proved true, as Daniels has led the Commanders to their first Divisional Round Playoff win since 1991, the same year they went on to win Super Bowl XXVI.

Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu took a hit to his wallet for his play in the Divisional Round.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported that Luvu was fined $16,883 for his block on Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff during the Commanders 45-31 victory.

The infraction occurred on a interception that was returned for a touchdown.

Pelissero reported that Luvu was also fined $16,883 for a hip drop tackle on Jahmyr Gibbs, bringing his total to $33,766.

Luvu finished the game with nine tackles and a fumble recovery. In the regular season, Luvu registered 99 tackles, eight sacks and an interception.

No flag was thrown on the hit to Goff but it gave the Commanders a 24-14 lead late in the first half and set the tone for a second half that featured two additional interceptions from Goff in the upset win for Washington. Goff also did miss the team's next drive.

While the hits and corresponding fines impacted his game check, Luvu and the Commanders will look to capitalize on the momentum and attempt to upset the No. 2 seed Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship.