The Tush Push. The Brotherly Shove. A cheat code. Call it what you want, but throughout the past few years, no play has been as notable–or controversial–as the Philadelphia Eagles’ secret weapon. But one bit of concern for Eagles fans is how long this weapon will stay in their arsenal.
The Tush Push was one of Philly’s most successful plays last year and a key reason as to why the Eagles managed to beat the Chiefs in last year’s Superbowl. Since 2022, the Birds have run it 92 times, succeeding 91.3% of the time.
During this offseason, owners voted on banning the play, but the vote failed, only gaining 22 of the 24 votes needed to shut down the play and letting it live on. But while the Brotherly Shove might be approved for this season, it has not escaped controversy.
Recently in a matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Eagles ran the play seven total times, turning those into five first downs and a touchdown to put the Birds up 20-10 late in the game. Undoubtedly, the play might have been the reason that Philly left Arrowhead with a win.
But questions arose when watching the replay, as analysts and fans complained about the Eagles getting an additional advantage due to false starts. The problem is no longer that the play is impossible to stop, but impossible to officiate.
Rules analyst Dean Blandino had his own thoughts on the play. “I am done with the Tush Push, guys,” he said after the Birds converted on a controversial 4th-and-1. It’s a hard play to officiate.”
Blandino isn’t the only one with strong opinions about the Tush Push. Analyst Adam Schefter had his own, much more heated opinions. “This game was lost in March,” Schefter said on ESPN’s Get Up, in reference to the vote to keep the play legal. “There might be a lot of games the Eagles play that are lost in March. Because this play is unstoppable. Not only does the defense not know how to handle it, even the officials don’t know how to handle it. You’re seeing the Eagles’ linemen jump offsides every play and nothing’s called!”
Schefter wasn’t alone in his sentiment. Chiefs fans took to social media to voice their frustrations, with one fan saying that, “It happens every single time they do it.” Another wrote, “If [I] were a ref, I would flag it every time, and make the Eagles challenge it.”
But while fans and analysts complain, some of the Chiefs’ stars understand the nuance and nature of the game. All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones, one of the players trying to stifle the shove, said that even though they thought he jumped, “It happens. People jump all the time.”
But all of these opinions leave Philly with one question: Will the Tush Push survive another season? Based on all the evidence, the likelihood is yes, just not in its current state. In a similar way to how the NFL changed rules about pass interference being reviewable, signs are pointing to a similar clause coming for the Tush Push. Even if the pass interference ruling was reverted, the framework for a similar concept still works.
The problem is not its dominance, injury concern, or even the formations itself: It is the plays inability to be properly officiated. If the NFL is able to fix that concern, then the Tush Push might be able to stay a staple in Philadelphia’s arsenal for the foreseeable future.