The Philadelphia Eagles are soaring high as the Week 16 game against the Washington Commanders approaches and an 11th-straight win on Sunday locks up the NFC East, as well as a playoff spot.
Right now, the Eagles are currently 2.5-point road favorites to beat the Commanders, which makes sense. At the same time however, Washington played Philly tough back in Week 11 and we all know how nothing is guaranteed when it comes to divisional games.
That's why the latest news involving Commanders tight end Zach Ertz isn't appealing for the Eagles. It was unknown as to whether or not the veteran tight end would play due to a concussion he suffered against the New Orleans Saints in Week 15, but according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, he's "trending toward playing" when the game kicks of at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Ertz is a big part of the Commanders offense and is the second target for Jayden Daniels and the passing attack. He's second on the team, across the board, in targets (77), receptions (54), receiving yards (526), and receiving touchdowns (4).
But where Ertz really factors in is inside the red zone. Per Pro Football Reference, Ertz's 29.4% target rate in the red zone leads the team. It's well ahead of second-place Terry McLaurin's 23.5% rate and no other player on the offense has rate higher than 9.8%. His 15 targets inside the 20 also lead the team and his eight receptions, 53 receiving yards and four touchdowns are second only to McLaurin, who has 11, 99, and nine, respectively.
Three of Ertz's eight receptions came from inside the 10 and all three of them have gone for touchdowns. Seven of the 15 targets are inside the 10, as well, which is tied with McLaurin for first.
The Commanders really felt his absence after he left the Saints game. They failed to score another touchdown after the injury and couldn't convert a trip to the New Orleans one-yard line into a touchdown without him. They had to settle for a field goal after Daniels was sacked on 3rd and goal.
Even more so, Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury admitted afterward that he and the rest of the coaches didn't do a good enough job adjusting once Ertz went out.
"We did not do a great job of it, that's for sure," Kingsbury told reporters on Thursday. "You could see we weren't as effective, especially in the red zone, there, without him. He's just a guy that's a safety net for our quarterback at all times. He has a knack for getting open [and a] knack for making the big play, and so I didn't think we handled that great. As a coaching staff, we gotta have better answers if something like that happens, because he's such a vital part of what we've been doing this year."
Ertz's absence would've given the Eagles defense another advantage, especially in the red zone. The Eagles boast the NFL's fourth-best red zone defense coming into Week 16, allowing opponents to score touchdowns at just a 48.8% rate.
It's certainly news the Eagles don't want to hear, but like every NFL game, they'll suit up and take on whatever challenge they're presented.
