The Washington Commanders have been the underdog story in the 2025 NFL playoffs. After sneaking in as the second-to-last seed, they have earned wins over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions en route to the NFC Championship Game,

Commanders tight end Zach Ertz said he knew right away, as early as training camp, that Daniels would be special because of his work ethic and humility. The 24-year-old newcomer also reminded Ertz of a former NFL star. "I compared him to Andrew Luck, which is the ultimate compliment," said Ertz in a report from ESPN's John Keim.

As the Commanders prepare for their NFC Championship matchup with the Eagles, Zach Ertz explains why he compares JD5 to Andrew Luck.

Veteran Commanders tight end Zach Ertz knows all about the importance of keeping Daniels healthy in order for the franchise to deliver a Super Bowl, so it's no surprise that he was steamed over a hit that Detroit Lions defensive end Josh Paschal delivered on his quarterback in last Saturday's NFC divisional round playoff game.

Tight end Zach Ertz has been at this stage before, so he knows better than most Washington Commanders what it takes to win the game on the biggest stage.

I hope they didn't judge me from prior stops I had been at or what they had heard or thought about about me, and I gave them a clean slate as well: 'Hey, we're gonna do the best we can do for the Commanders,

The Eagles will see a few old friends on the other sideline at Lincoln Financial Field in Sunday's NFC championship game. Here are five familiar faces on the Commanders roster ... Zach Ertz, tight end Ertz was on the Birds’ only Super Bowl-winning team and is one of the franchise’s best-ever tight ends.

Ertz is one of the few players on this Commanders team with experience in the NFC Championship Game, catching eight passes on eight targets for 93 yards in his lone Conference Championship appearance.