Things are going from bad to worse for the 3-9 Washington Commanders as they continue to struggle against the Minnesota Vikings in their Week 14 clash. After losing QB1 Jayden Daniels in the second half due to an arm injury, Washington suffered another massive blow involving Zach Ertz. The veteran tight end was dealt a horrific knee injury, which has ruled him out of the game. According to injury analyst Tom Christ, Ertz could be out for a long time.

“Blasted in the right knee in an anterior-to-posterior direction. I believe I see his knee hyperextending. Concern for a multi-ligament injury with ACL potentially included,” Christ reported before adding more later. “Saw another close-up video, and his knee does in fact hyperextend while laterally rotated. Concerned for ACL, PCL, LCL, posterolateral corner. A long road ahead for one of the best Tight Ends of his era.”

The incident involving the tight end occurred as backup QB Marcus Mariota threw a pass to veteran Zach Ertz down the field. The 35-year-old had to leap in order to complete the catch. While the ball hit him in the hands, Ertz failed to hold on to the catch.

But before he hit the ground, Minnesota Vikings safety Jay Ward hit the veteran directly around his knee, causing this horrific injury. The 35-year-old was helped to a cart on the sideline, where he was in tears as teammates came to offer encouragement.

Ertz, who is playing on a one-year, $6.25 million contract, has emerged as a solid option for Washington this season. Starting every game so far, the 35-year-old has caught 50 passes for 504 yards and four touchdowns. But with this long-term injury, it seems like this could very much be the end of the road for Zach Ertz.

Following this incident, there has been a consensus about how necessary Jay Ward’s hit on Zach Ertz was, with a certain Commanders reporter calling out the Vikings defender.

Was Zach Ertz taken out by a ‘dirty hit’?

Commanders reporter Chad Ryan was extremely unhappy with Jay Ward’s action as the Minnesota Vikings registered a dominant 31-0 victory against Washington. With a scoreboard this lopsided, Ryan slammed the Minnesota safety for his hit.

“This is a dirty hit by Jay Ward that has left Zach Ertz down on the field and needing assistance from the trainers to leave the field,” Chad Ryan wrote on X. “No place for this on the football field. Disgusting play.”

But coming back to the veteran tight end, if this is the last of Zach Ertz, the 35-year-old will be calling it a career after years of consistent performances, resulting in 825 catches for 8,592 yards and 57 touchdowns alongside two Pro Bowls and one championship.