Zach Ertz fires back at fans blaming Jayden Daniels for Commanders' loss to Bears

The Jayden Daniels haters were out in full force following the Washington Commanders' 25-24 Monday Night Football defeat to the Chicago Bears. His uncharacteristic multi-turnover performance contributed to a deflating loss, and the detractors let him hear all about it.

Daniels didn't shy away from the criticism; he took full responsibility for Washington falling to 3-3 at the hands of the Bears. The star quarterback was his own biggest critic after the contest, emphasizing a need to be better moving forward. While you want to see him own up to making costly mistakes, including a back-breaking late fourth-quarter fumble, Zach Ertz had an opposite attitude.

Washington wasn't particularly sound in any facet of the game against the Bears, let alone well enough to prevail. Ertz made sure to remind everyone that Daniels' special dual-threat ability single-handedly kept the Commanders within striking distance of Chicago.

Commanders TE Zach Ertz comes to Jayden Daniels' defense after loss to Bears

"We have no chance being in that game without Jayden [Daniels]," Ertz told reporters in the wake of falling short to the Bears (h/t Ethan Cadeaux of Monumental Sports Network). "The plays he made with his legs, the plays he made with his arm. The only reason we were in the game and in a position to win was Jayden Daniels."

Ertz recognized that Daniels will "ultimately put a lot on himself in the wins and losses" as the captain of the locker room. Nevertheless, the veteran tight end repeatedly stated that despite a couple of glaring blunders, the Commanders were doomed versus Chicago sans the latter.

Yes, Daniels tossed a brutal near-red zone interception in the first quarter. He was too loose with the football, fumbling twice, though only one was lost. However, his botched handoff attempt as the Commanders were icing the game away allowed the Bears to emerge victorious.

Yet, Daniels supplemented each error with a bunch of positive moments. He helped the Commanders overcome a first-half fumble from rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt and a missed field goal to temporarily give them a lead. His 73.1 completion percentage and 8.1 yards per attempt were both well above the league average marks while throwing three touchdowns. The 2024 No. 2 overall pick also rushed for an efficient 52 yards on 10 carries.