Eagles fans rejoice, the “Tush Push” lives to see another day... for now. The play has been the topic of conversation around the league and online ever since the Eagles not only popularized it, but showed a high rate of success running the play in short yardage situations. Originally proposed by the Green Bay Packers, a potential ban on the play was deliberated on for several months among all 32 teams, and was finally voted on earlier Wednesday morning, with 22 teams in favor of the ban, and 10 teams in opposition to the ban. For proposed rule changes like the “Tush Push” ban, 75% of teams need to vote for the rule to pass, meaning the play was just two votes shy of getting that passing percentage needed. Adam Schefter reported that along with the Eagles, the nine teams that voted for the play to remain were the Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, Tennessee Titans and New York Jets, and the rest of the league would be on the other side of the coin, including our very own Atlanta Falcons.
According to CBS’s Jonathan Jones, the play was supported by speeches from owner Jeffery Lurie, who he said gave a “passionate but fair” speech during meetings, along with retired center and Eagles legend Jason Kelce who was a key element of the play in his final years with the team. To celebrate, the Eagles social media team posted a series of graphics across platforms, including a 26 minute highlight reel of the play on YouTube. It’s safe to say they’re pretty excited about the play sticking around. Others in the league, however, clearly are not.
History of the Tush Push
During a 2020 week 10 game against the Tennessee Titans, then Colts’ offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni recommended subbing in backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett to run a quarterback sneak from about two yards out at the goal line. He suggested this because at the time, Brissett weighed 238 pounds, slightly heavier and stronger than the team’s starter veteran Phillip Rivers. The play worked well, as Brissett gained the yards needed and then some, plowing his way into the end zone extending the lead to three scores.
A year later when Sirianni became head coach of the Eagles, he would incorporate this same strategy with Jalen Hurts, who notably squats 600 pounds, but this time would add an extra element by having someone boost Hurts in the back, helping him pick up the yardage needed. A year later, the play became a crucial part of the Eagles offense as the team adopted a unique formation just for the play similar to the quarterback kneel formation, but would use a running back and tight end to push Hurts through the defense. The “Tush Push” name was popularized on social media, but the team created a different name dubbing it the “Brotherly Shove,” a twist on the “City of Brotherly Love.”
The play attracts so much attention from defenses that they more often than not bring all 11 players into the box, opening up the occasional fake Tush Push to keep defenders on their toes. Defenses have also adopted unique ways of trying to stop it, arguably the most notable being Washington Linebacker Frankie Luvu’s attempt to jump over the offensive line and stop Hurts from scoring. Luvu, who now sees the play twice a year, also stated he was against the play saying “It’s kind of like a cheapo play... it’s pretty much a scrum in rugby, that’s how I look at it.” Sports writer Mike Florio cited Luvu’s failed attempts at stopping the play as a reason why he believes the league’s front office pushed for a ban on the play.
The play no doubt was pivotal in the Eagles 2022 success albeit their eventual Super Bowl loss to Kansas City, and became an even more significant part of the offense after the addition of another 600 pound squatter Saquon Barkely, helping them win Super Bowl 59. According to ESPN, the Eagles have the most push sneak plays since 2022 with 108, followed by the Bills with 55 and the Bears with 16. It’s also worth noting that other teams have tried to utilize the play in their offensive schemes, but often fail in execution, leaving Philadelphia as the most successful team to run the play.
Calls to outlaw the play
In the years since the Eagles started utilizing the play full time, questions around player safety and if the play gave Philly an unfair advantage over defenses emerged. These claims didn’t grow legs until around the NFL combine when news of a proposal to ban the play became public. The Green Bay Packers spearheaded the effort to ban the play following the team’s 22-10 loss to the Eagles in last years playoffs (oddly enough the score is the exact same as the vote for the Tush Push ban.)
Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy said the play is “Bad for the game,” also adding “There is no skill involved and it is almost an automatic first down on plays of a yard or less.” Murphy was backed by several team owners and staff like Falcons head coach Raheem Morris who said “I thought it should have been illegal three years ago,” also adding “I was never a big fan. There’s just no other play in our game where you can absolutely get behind somebody and push them.”
The Packers original proposal wasn’t voted on at league meetings in April, instead being tabled for later while the NFL gathered additional research and data on the play and allowed other teams to think over their stances on the play. In that time, the Packers submitted a revised proposal, stating that “pushing or pulling a runner in any direction at any time or lifting him to his feet should be banned.” The revised proposal says that a 10-yard penalty should be given if a player engaged in that practice this upcoming season.
While the play came very close to being banned and we’ll at least see the play utilized for the 2025-2026 season, the Eagles aren’t out of the woods just yet, as the league could still revisit the topic in the future. Falcons CEO and long time member of the NFL Competition Committee Rich McKay said “because there were still a large number of teams in favor of a ban, the league could revisit the issue in the future, specifically as it relates to pushing and pulling a runner in seemingly stalled downfield scrums.”
Atlanta doesn’t play the Eagles during the regular season in 2025, meaning there’s a good chance that the team misses the Tush Push for an entire season, putting the Falcons out of the line of fire of Philadelphia’s imminent war path against any team who voted against the play. With that said, I’m praying for the well-being of the Packers in Week 10.
What’s your thoughts on the “Tush Push” staying alive?