The Tush Push is a pain in the butt.
This past spring, the NFL competition and health and safety committees wanted it gone. The NFL owners disagreed, defeating a ban by two votes. So when push came to shove, the play lived on. For now.
As the Broncos face the Eagles on Sunday, a persuasive argument can be advanced for outlawing the play. The easiest is entertainment. The NFL thrives on attracting eyeballs to television sets. While jokes and conspiracy theories remain about how the league is scripted, no one wants to watch a play that is automatic.
It turns football into rugby. The quarterback sneak becomes a scrum. The Eagles found a loophole and exploited it. In 2024, the Eagles converted 39 of 48 Tush Pushes into first downs, according to CBS Sports. And even their failures were mitigated as eight of the nine times they answered with a first down or touchdown on the next play.
Math is hard. But a success rate of 98% is easy to understand. Those are the kind of numbers that forced the league to push back point-after attempts several years ago.
Still, the Tush Push does not need to be banned, even though it likely will be after this season.
Don’t like it? Prevent it, right?
“It’s a football play. We have to stop football plays. They can do other stuff off it. We saw that last week. It’s a tough play to defend,” Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton said Thursday. “We need to keep them out of fourth-and-1.”
The Broncos have the right attitude. Complaining is not going to change anything. That will happen in a meeting in a swanky hotel ballroom in March when former Eagles center Jason Kelce will be unable to sway owners to keep the Tush Push for a second time.
In the meantime, a pair of things can be done about a play that is more predictable than a Scooby-Doo ending.
First, officiate it better. The league has had no issue trying to legislate out violence, and with last week as an example, there are plenty of referees who call every holding (phantom or otherwise), block in the back and offsides.
Is it too much to ask a crew to flag the Eagles for a false start? Against the Chiefs, Philadelphia’s movement before the snap on the push was a middle finger to the rule book.
“It is disgusting how good they are at it. And I would be (upset) if it happened against me. But I don’t want to see them ban it. Just call it better. They can (darn) well see down the line. And if the center is moving the ball early or guys are moving, throw the flag. Move them back five yards, and now they are punting,” former Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe said. “They need to do a better job of calling penalties on it.”
The Eagles have a baked-in advantage on the play. Their guards, by design, are enormous, averaging 6-foot-6 and 327 pounds. Center Cam Jurgens — 6-3, 303 — is not exactly leading tours of Disneyland’s “It’s a Small World,” either. And quarterback Jalen Hurts can squat more than 600 pounds, his leg strength unique for any position.
They don’t need help, OK?
Want to keep the play, then make it the Tush sans The Push.
The Eagles got petty on social media when the play avoided a ban last spring. How about countering them by not letting their offensive players get cheeky?
NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth referred to the role of the pair of players behind the quarterback as the “double-cheek” pushers.
The NFL, even during the season, needs to take this part of the play and shove it. No assisting the quarterback on sneaks. Period. End of discussion.
If it remains permitted, then allow the defensive players to do the same thing. That is the part that rankles some.
“It is a leverage play on the line, but the push part — I can’t put the safety behind me and push (nose tackle) D.J. (Jones),” Singleton said.
Wouldn’t it be cool on Sunday to see Brandon Jones, Talanoa Hufanga and Singleton burrowing into Jones to stop Hurts? Not sure how much D.J. would love players falling onto his legs, but it would make it more difficult for the Eagles to advance 1 yard.
As for now, Jones’ strategy is less than desirable unless the goal is to raise his voice a few decibels.
“Just grab your nuts and try to stop it.”
For his part, coach Sean Payton is not in favor of eliminating the play, even though the Broncos’ ownership voted to outlaw it.
The play should not be banned because the Eagles are too good at it. Even though that is what will prove its demise, not unsupported injury data. Even Payton called the safety connection, “B.S.”
What is a crock is what the refs allow the Eagles to get away with.
The Tush Push is on life support. It will be Brotherly Shoved out of existence in 2026.
Until then, can the refs level the playing field by having the Eagles play by the rules?
“The (officials) get corrected after games, so I am sure after that Kansas City game, they got roasted. So whatever crew is there will have a plan for it,” Singleton said. “Our job is to stop it until they ban it. That’s football.”
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