Zach Ertz cruises for 1st touchdown as a member of the Arizona Cardinals

Zach Ertz didn’t take long to assert himself as a new member of the Arizona Cardinals.

On the second play of the 31-5 win against the Houston Texans on Sunday, he tipped a pass to himself in traffic for an 11-yard first-down catch.

Two catches later, he had his first touchdown as a member of the Cardinals.

INTRODUCING… ZACH ERTZ.@ZERTZ_86 x #NationalTightEndsDay pic.twitter.com/gdSYxHsLLB

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) October 24, 2021

The tight end, who was acquired in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles 10 days prior, swooped across the middle of the field and turned upfield to receive a pass from Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray. He tacked 30 yards after the catch on the pass of 17 air yards for a 47-yard score to get the Cardinals off to a strong second-half start.

The total length was a career-high for Ertz.

He scored with eight minutes to go in the third quarter and put Arizona ahead, 24-5.

Ertz had three catches for 66 yards after the play, tying receiver A.J. Green for the team-high in yardage.

NextGenStats had the play clocking in with a 3.1% touchdown probability, but Ertz had help from a Texans secondary that wasn’t in great position — not to mention that Arizona receiver Christian Kirk from his deep route ran back into the fray to make a key block for the final few yards of Ertz’s touchdown run.

Kyler Murray & Zach Ertz (47-yard TD)

Ertz reached a top speed of 17.94 mph on the play, his fastest speed as a ball carrier over the last four seasons (since 2018).

🔹 Yards After Catch: 30
🔹 YAC Over Expected: +17
🔹 TD Probability: 3.1%#HOUvsAZ | #RedSea pic.twitter.com/yLwNjSyz9c

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) October 24, 2021

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