Ertz a jack of all trades for Birds
Tight end gives Mike Trout football after scoring
No job is too big or too small for Zach Ertz.
The veteran did it all Sunday to lead the Eagles to their sixth straight victory, a 33-10 decision over the 49ers.
The Eagles were playing as ugly as the rainy weather. Torrey Smith drew a pass interference penalty and Ertz followed with a oneyard scoring reception. It ignited a burst of two touchdowns in 15 seconds, both in the last two minutes of the first half, and set the tone for the rest of the day.
Ertz wasn’t done after scoring the touchdown as he splashed through the end zone searching for fan favorite Mike Trout, the Angels baseball star by way of South Jersey. There were just enough empty seats to spot him.
“I couldn’t find him at first,” Ertz said. “And then I saw him and gave it to him. I don’t have a celebration. I’m not the backpack kid. I just try and do something spontaneous. He just said, ‘let’s go!’ He was hyped. He loves football. I think he wants to play football.”
Ertz loves football, too. And the Eagles are better for it.
Ertz’s touchdown keyed a surge wiping out a disappointing first half of Eagles drops, Carson Wentz overthrows and a missed PAT, the holder losing the handle on the football.
“It wasn’t a great performance by us,” Ertz said. “I’m not going to say rain was a factor because that is part of the game. We are going to play in more rainy games to come and we have to be better as an offense.”
Ertz finished with four catches for 34 yards, the longest a 14-yard reception. He leads the Eagles with 43 receptions for 528 yards (12.3 yard average). He led all NFL tight ends in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns entering the game. The six TDs match his production from the last two seasons combined. He’s money in the red zone.
It’s time to start thinking about Ertz in the Pro Bowl.
“They have a lot of confidence in me to just make plays when the ball is in the air,” Ertz said. “We spent a lot of time this offseason kind of just focusing on the red zone, from the spring to the summer.”
Wentz made yet another important contribution in the third quarter. After the Niners pulled within 20-7, Alshon Jeffery scored on a 53-yard catch-and-run in which he barreled over two defenders.
Jeffery chose Ertz to celebrate his longest reception as an Eagle. And it was a strange routine, to say the least. To sum up, Ertz was the pitcher and he purposely hit batter Jeffery with the football. Then they both ran to the bench.
“I wanted to brush him back,” Ertz said. “I wanted to brush him back a little bit. And unfortunately it slipped and it just hit him. He’s a big intimidating guy. I just wanted to get out of there.” Yeah, right. The bottom line: Ertz isn’t beneath anything asked of him. And who knows, maybe he can help bring his buddy Trout here.
“Hopefully,” Ertz said, “he’ll come play for the Phillies one day.” *** Jalen Mills made a note to be sure to get his mother a copy of the program the Eagles handed out.
After all, he was featured on the cover, green streaked hair and all.
Mills took his team-leading third interception to the house late in the first half to rock the Linc.
Mills read rookie C.J. Beathard’s eyes, started down the Niners sideline, then reversed field and rolled in from 37 yards out. That kind of silenced the critics who kidded him about having no return skills. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, secondary coach Cory Undlin and teammate Malcolm Jenkins all hugged him.
“I was actually about to go out of bounds, and then I thought about it,” Mills said. “So I cut back and I had to get in the end zone or I wouldn’t have stopped hearing that.”
Rodney McLeod also picked off a pass for the Eagles, who rank among the league leaders with nine on the season. *** Eagles rookie kicker Jake Elliott drilled a 51-yard field, giving him five from 50 or more yards this season, the franchise record.
Cody Parkey (2014) and injured kicker Caleb Sturgis (2016), who Elliott replaced this season, shared the old record. *** In the injury department, Eagles cornerback Patrick Robinson was concussed deflecting the pass intercepted by McLeod.
Robinson was caught in collision and fell backwards after trying to regain his feet. He didn’t return.
Later in the quarter linebacker Nigel Bradham slammed Niners receiver Pierre Garcon out of bounds and into his Eagles position coach Ken Flajole.
Bradham could have been penalized as Garcon was out of bounds.
But on a wet day, referee Clete Blakeman gave Bradham the benefit of the doubt on the right in front of the Eagles’ bench at the 38-yard line.
Flajole was dinged according to a source. He returned in the second half. *** NOTES: Eagles firstround pick Derek Barnett had a big day with two tackles, including one for loss, two quarterback hurries and a blocked field goal attempt he returned eight yards … Niners tight end Garret Celek caught a 24-yard pass on the third play of the game. His older brother Brent had a 14-yard reception for the Eagles in the final frame … In case you wondered, the Eagles are 3-1 this season when they win the coin flip, and 4-0 when the lose it. They won Sunday … Eagles punter Donnie Jones started his 200th straight game … The Eagles scratched cornerback Ronald Darby (ankle), linebacker Jordan Hicks (Achilles’ tendon), defensive linemen Steven Means, Elijah Qualls and Justin Hamilton, wide receiver Shelton Gibson and offensive tackle Taylor Hart.
Halapoulivaati Vaitai started at left tackle, Patrick Robinson at cornerback.