The Detroit Lions suffered a 16-9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, but across the NFL it felt like the Lions had won something bigger than the scoreboard battle. They had done what many thought was impossible – holding the Eagles’ dreaded “tush push” to just one conversion on five attempts.
But before critics of the play begin planning its funeral, Sunday also revealed a new truth: The tush push is evolving, which will ultimately make it more difficult to ban.
Used mainly on short yardage plays and at the goal line, the infamous play sees the quarterback line up behind the center in a tightly bunched formation and bull his way forward behind a wall of 300-pound blockers while teammates push from behind.
“This is not football!” a Green Bay Packers’ linebacker, Micah Parson, said at the time.
The play was instrumental in helping the Eagles win the Super Bowl last year and looked unstoppable earlier this season against the New York Giants, when Philadelphia used the tush push on four straight plays, ending with a 1-yard TD score by quarterback Jalen Hurts.
The Packers coach, Matt LaFleur, has said it is “more of a rugby scrum than it is a football play,” which is why the Packers led a proposal during the offseason to get the play banned. At least 24 of the league’s 32 teams had to vote in favor for the proposal to pass, but only 22 did.
Among those that voted against the ban were the Lions, who used leverage, brute force and keen anticipation to stop the Eagles cold on three of their five tush pushes in Sunday’s game. One of teh two remaining attempts was foiled by a false-start call; the Eagles scored a touchdown on the other.
“They did a good job on that,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “So respect to them and credit to them on that.”
But before those offended by the tush push start to celebrate, the Baltimore Ravens gave the play’s supporters reason to argue that it’s not a cheat code but a legitimate football play that is evolving.
Facing a fourth-and-one situation in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Browns, Mark Andrews, the Ravens’ normal tight end, lined up like a quarterback under center, while the rest of the offense got into the standard formation for a tush push.
But instead of plunging forward into a pile of Cleveland defenders braced for a human avalanche, Mr. Andrews took the snap, reversed his pivot and ran around the right edge for a 35-yard touchdown.
The play, called “Hurricane” by the Ravens, was critical in Baltimore’s 23-16 victory. Mr. Andrews has scored 57 touchdowns in his career. This was his first as a runner.
“We’re just trying to be versatile in that package,” Mr. Andrews said. “It was a great play call, and it felt great to get into the end zone.”
The Eagles used their own fake tush push on September 28 against the Tampa Bay Bucs. On fourth-and-one at the Bucs 6-yard-line, the Eagles lined up in the standard tush push formation. But instead of Mr. Hurt plunging forward, he turned and handed the ball to Saquon Barkley who ran around the left edge for an easy touchdown.
“We work our butts off on it,” the Eagles coach, Nick Sirianni, said. “It’s all about the guys up front, the tight ends, Jalen, the timing of everything. Obviously, we won’t get into all the things we do to prepare, but it’s not an easy play to practice.”
By stopping the tush push four times, the Lions proved the play isn’t as automatic as it once was. The Lions were among the teams that voted against banning the play.
“You take something else out of the game, then we’re taking the next thing out of the game, then you’re taking another thing out of the game,” the Lions’ coach, Dan Campbell, said earlier this year. “Pretty soon, we don’t have pads anymore. Pretty soon, you’re only playing 30 minutes. So I don’t want to take it out of the game.”
The Bucs coach, Todd Bowles, is also against banning the play. “I don’t think the first thing you can do is try to take it out of the ball game because that takes away the creativity for everybody trying to do everything else,” he said. “You’ve got to learn how to stop it.”
The difficulty of officiating the play might be the most legitimate reason to ban it. The Eagles have been accused of numerous uncalled false starts – when offensive players move before the football is snapped.
“You can’t stop it if they’re leaving early,” Mr. Parsons said. “It’s impossible. It’s an unfair advantage.”
For all the talk about rugby scrums and unfair mechanics, the tush push might simply be the latest football play to push the limits of the rulebook – and referees.