The Philadelphia Eagles’ signature tush push play is set to continue for another season, following a vote by NFL owners on the contentious offensive formation.
Over the past three years, the play has been a staple for the Eagles, with Jalen Hurts scoring 27 touchdowns and recording 92 first downs while using it. It was a key strategy during their playoff run and Super Bowl victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. The unusual offensive formation sees the Eagles line up with seven men tight on the line of scrimmage and four in the backfield. They aim to push the defensive line backwards to gain one or two yards, resembling a Rugby-style scrum.
Hurts takes the snap under center and leans forward while the offensive lineman and blockers go low. This allows him to extend the ball out to pick up a first down on short-yardage plays or even score a touchdown. The Eagles have successfully executed the play 110 times out of 119 attempts. Following eight unsuccessful attempts, they managed to pull off another successful tush push play.
Despite its effectiveness for the Eagles in short-yardage situations, other teams have struggled to replicate this strategy.
A vote was conducted today on the controversial tush push, with a 22-10 majority favoring its legality. The Eagles celebrated the decision by posting an image of the formation with the caption “push on.”
Rumors have been swirling over the past year about the potential banning of the play, culminating in the Green Bay Packers launching an official campaign to outlaw it.
Packers president Mark Murphy voiced his opposition to the play, arguing that it’s “almost an automatic first down on plays of a yard or less.”
On the other hand, general manager Brian Gutenkust admitted, “I know we’re not very successful against it. I know that. To be honest about it, I haven’t really put much thought into it. It’s been around for a while. We used it in different fashions with our tight end.
“Again, I think there will be a lot of discussions about it. I gotta kind of look at the information as far as injury rates, things like that. But we’ll see.”
Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris also advocated for the play’s removal. He told reporters: “It should’ve been illegal three years ago.
“The Tush Push play, I’ve never been a big fan. There’s just no other play in our game where you can absolutely get behind somebody and push them, pull them off, do anything.”
