As he finishes his Eagles career and begins life as an Arizona Cardinal, Zach Ertz leaves behind a remarkable legacy of achievements, honors and records.
Ertz caught 579 passes in an Eagles uniform – 612 including the postseason. He caught passes from nine quarterbacks – Carson Wentz (328), Nick Foles (132), Sam Bradford (71), Mark Sanchez (38), Jalen Hurts (28), Michael Vick (6), Matt Barkley (5), Josh McCown (3) and Nate Sudfeld (1). Incredibly, 358 of his 612 catches went for first downs.
Let’s take a look at 10 more amazing Zach Ertz stats from his brilliant 8 ½-year career as an Eagle.
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1. Ertz’s 579 regular-season receptions are 12th-most in NFL history by a tight end, but he’s only four catches out of the top 10 and only 13 catches behind 9th place. Only eight tight ends have ever caught 600 passes, and Ertz only needs 21 to reach that milestone. Only four have reached 600 catches in their first nine seasons – Jason Witten, Tony Gonzalez, Travis Kelce and Jimmy Graham.
2. Ertz has had 11 games with at least 10 receptions, and only Gonzalez has had more (15) among tight ends. Ertz and Witten are both at 11. No other tight end in history has had more than six games with 10 catches.
3. Ertz’s 33 career postseason receptions are tied for 3rd-most in Eagles history behind Chad Lewis (38) and Duce Staley (35). Brian Westbrook also had 33. He’s 5th in yards, behind Harold Carmichael (465), Todd Pinkston (433), Lewis (409) and Alshon Jeffery (364).
4. Ertz caught at least one pass in the last 101 games he played as an Eagle, the second-longest streak of consecutive games with a reception in franchise history. Carmichael had a 130-game streak from 1972 through 1980. The last time Ertz played a game and didn’t record a catch was Nov. 27, 2014, when he was blanked in a 33-30 win over the Cowboys in Dallas. He also had two games as a rookie without a catch. Ertz actually owns the club record for consecutive games with at least two catches. He played 65 in a row from late in 2016 to late last year. Ertz’s streak of consecutive games with a reception is 7th-longest currently in the NFL, behind Antonio Brown (155), Julio Jones (138), DeAndre Hopkins (137), Kelce (127), Jarvis Landry (115) and Marvin Jones (105). Ertz’s streak is also 10th-longest all-time by a tight end, behind Gonzalez (217), Jeremy Shockey (143), Witten (134), Kelce (127), Ozzie Newsome (118), John Mackey (115), Heath Miller (111), Mike Ditka (105) and Frank Wycheck (104). He won't play Sunday against the Browns, but if Ertz catches a pass in each remaining Cards game, he'd increase his streak to 112.
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5. Ertz is the only player in NFL history with a 4th-down catch in the fourth quarter of a Super Bowl win. Ertz’s 2-yard catch on 4th-and-1 from Nick Foles with 5 ½ minute left in Super Bowl LII and the Eagles trailing the Patriots 33-32 gave the Eagles a first down at the Eagles’ 47-yard-line with 4:52 left.
6. Seven plays later, Ertz caught the game-winning 11-yard touchdown pass from Foles. That is one of only five game-winning pass plays in the last 2 ½ minutes of a Super Bowl in which the scoring team trailed before the play. The others were thrown and caught by Joe Montana and John Taylor, Eli Manning and Plaxico Burress, Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes and Tom Brady and Julian Edelman.
7. Ertz has had five 70-catch seasons, and only four tight ends in history have had more: Gonzalez (14), Witten (9), Gates (6) and Kelce (6). Only Gonzalez and Witten also had five 70-catch seasons in a row. Ertz is also one of only six tight ends with six straight 700-yard seasons.
8. Ertz’s 18 catches during the 2017 postseason are the 7th-most ever by a tight end in a single postseason - although it’s one below the franchise record of 19 set by Brent Celek in 2008. Celek’s 19 catches in 2008 and Ertz’s 18 in 2017 are the most catches by any Eagles in a single postseason.
9. Ertz’s 579 career receptions are 2nd-most ever by a tight end drafted in the second round, three behind Gronkowski. Gronk has missed Tampa Bay’s last three games with four broken ribs, so Ertz has a chance to become the first 2nd-round tight end ever with 600 career receptions.
10. During the seven-year period from 2013 through 2019, Ertz caught 525 passes, more than any tight end in football during that stretch. Kelce was second with 507. Ertz’s 525 receptions are the most ever by a tight end in his first seven seasons. Witten had the second-most at 523.
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