Eagles’ famous ‘Tush Push’ lasts another season: Why changes could be coming to league’s controversial play

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NEW YORK — There isn’t a play as close to automatic when the Philadelphia Eagles run the “Tush Push.” The Eagles have nearly perfected the controversial play. converting the play into a first down 91.3% of the time on third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 situations since 2022 (including playoffs). 

The play defines the Eagles, in a sense. This isn’t why the Eagles are 39-12 over the last three seasons, but the “Tush Push” is the play many teams — and fans — identify the defending Super Bowl. This is the play the league is trying to get rid of, and have failed to this point. 

“I just don’t think it’s a good looking play,” said The NFL Today studio analyst and Super Bowl champion coach Bill Cowher. “I just don’t think there’s anything strategic about it.”

The league tried to eliminate the “Tush Push” over the offseason, as the Green Bay Packers proposed a rule change that would ban the play — even submitting a revision of the proposal when the vote was tabled from the owners’ meetings in March until May. There was some controversy surrounding whether the Packers submitted the proposal on their behalf or if the NFL nudged the Packers to proposing the rule change as a way to get the play banned. 

The league needed 24 votes to get the “Tush Push” banned. It only had 22, so the play lives on. The “Tush Push” is still a topic of controversy regarding it being an actual play or not.

“It’s not the aesthetically pleasing part like some say,” said NFL on CBS analyst Charles Davis. “The idea that you can assist a runner like that when he had all those years you couldn’t — if you can duck down. The greatest QB we ever had could duck down and get a QB sneak without assistance, and he did it really well. (Tom) Brady did that.”

The Eagles aren’t the only team to use the “Tush Push” or quarterback sneak, but they use it far more than everyone else. Philadelphia has run the play 92 times since the start of the 2022 season (including playoffs), more than the Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers combined (65 times). These are the four teams that have converted the play most successfully over the last three seasons. 

Tush Push/QB sneak conversion rate on 3rd-and-1, 4th-and-1 — last 3 seasons

The Eagles are highly successful at running a “Tush Push” or quarterback sneak, yet so are other teams when they choose use the “Tush Push.” The league average is 84.2%, but plenty of teams have converted the play at a high rate. 

Last season, the Jacksonville Jaguars ran a quarterback sneak or “Tush Push” 13 times, converting 11 of them (92.3%). The 49ers were 10 of 11 (90.9%) and the Minnesota Vikings were 10 of 10 (100%). 

The Eagles used a quarterback sneak or tush push 32 times while the Buffalo Bills ran the play 27 times. The next highest was 13, which may be where the discrepancy lies been the Eagles’ signature play and the rest of the league. 

“I bet you if Coach Cowher, if the Pittsburgh Steelers were good at the tush push when he was coaching — he’d be perfectly fine with it,” said The NFL Today studio analyst and former NFL wide receiver Nate Burleson. “Matter of fact, he’d be fighting for it. 

“Love him to death, but I’m a pro-tush push guy. Just because a team gets good at it, doesn’t mean you have to pull it from the game.”

What changes could be coming to the ‘Tush Push’?

The NFL couldn’t get the votes needed to eliminate the play, but it certainly is expected to be on the table next year. Even if the “Tush Push” doesn’t get banned, there are ways football itself can be modified with the play still intact. 

“Here’s where I do feel for the defense. You can’t do any torpedo-like leaping, and there’s all these rules against defenders,” Burleson said. “Now on offense, you get those scrum rules as a rugby team. I get that part of it. Loosen up some of the rules against the defense, and I think it would be more evenly balanced.”

In the NFL’s current set of playing rules, the offense is allowed to push and pull the ball carrier — a rule change that dated to 2005 (pushing a pulling the ball carrier was banned prior to that). No defensive player is allowed to be pushed or pulled to assist when making a tackle, which is where a change could take place if the “Tush Push” were to survive once again. 

“If you can aid the offensive guy, why can’t you aid the defensive person?” Cowher said. “I just think there’s unfairness to the rules for this to be played. I just don’t think it’s a good looking play. I just don’t think there’s anything strategic about it.”

What if the ‘Tush Push’ is banned?

While this won’t be an issue in 2025, there’s a good chance the play will be up for a rule change at the 2026 NFL owners meetings. There will be an opportunity for 24 teams to vote it out of existence again, even though there currently has been no injuries resulting from the play. 

The reason the Packers proposed the “Tush Push” ban in the first place? Safety concerns. 

“I think a lot of these ‘tush pushes’ you’re seeing, we are not even seeing the push take place on the back,” Cowher said. “So I think a lot of it right now. … A quarterback sneak is fine. I just think it’s the aiding and abiding. The problem I have is not even with the ‘tush push,’ but the pushing of a runner. Even when a runner is down the field, we see guys pushing piles. And that’s when people can really get hurt too. 

“I think the officials are not as quick with their whistle, which constantly leads to sometimes an extra guy coming in with an extra burst of inertia, which puts someone in an awkward position. From a safety standpoint, I think it’s an accident waiting to happen.” 

Injuries could happen as a result of the play in 2025, but the NFL has nothing to historically back that up heading into this season. With no injury data for backing and one team being really good at the “Tush Push,” banning the play would have been a bad look for the NFL. 

“I’m thoroughly convinced the reason it stayed this year is that a lot of people didn’t want to vote it out of existence,” Davis said. “Because of the team that just won the Super Bowl.”

Would Eagles still be good at QB sneak if ‘Tush Push’ was banned? 

In short, yes. 

The Eagles ran the quarterback sneak 63 times from 2017 through 2021, converting 55 of them for first downs or touchdowns — an 87.3% clip. Philadelphia was first in the NFL among teams that attempted the quarterback sneak for a first down 30+ times in that span. 

Jalen Hurts‘ first full season as a starting quarterback was 2021, as the Eagles converted 13 of 14 quarterback sneak attempts into either first downs or touchdowns. The Eagles were second in the league among teams that attempted 10+ quarterback sneaks in 2021, as the Denver Broncos were first at 100%. 

Hitting 92.9% of quarterback sneaks is still an impressive feat, showcasing the players are an important reason why a play is successful. The Eagles had Hurts at quarterback, Jordan Mailata at left tackle, Landon Dickerson at left guard, Jason Kelce at center and Lane Johnson at right tackle in that 2021 season. All four were there during the “Tush Push” era as well.

Eagles QB sneak numbers (pre-‘Tush Push’)

(Regular season stats)

The Eagles are just running the quarterback sneak at a significantly higher rate because of the “Tush Push.” If the play was banned after this season, it would still be business as usual — especially with Hurts at quarterback. 

“It doesn’t matter if it’s the Eagles or anyone else,” Davis said. “Give Jalen credit, he’s a 600-pound squatter. He doesn’t need any assistance. If you commit to it, you have a chance to be pretty good at it.”

This news was originally published on this post .

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