The Philadelphia Eagles bounced back from their lone defeat of the season with a 31-17 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday Night Football.
The “Tush Push” or “Brotherly Shove” has been quite the topic of discussion this season, but the Eagles seem to be the only team that can run it successfully. They used it to help run over six minutes off the clock on a touchdown drive in the fourth quarter against the Dolphins.
Mike Meltser joined Danny Parkins on the Audacy original podcast “1st & Pod” and explained why the Philadelphia Eagles' success using the Tush Push must be so demoralizing for opposing defenses.
“On the drive that basically finished the game at 31-17 that took like six-and-a-half minutes, that first time that Sirianni used that Brotherly Shove play, I actually would’ve punted,” Meltser said (2:38 in player above). “It was a full yard. I was thinking to myself ‘Man, I just think that’s too dangerous in this spot.’ They did it once. They did it again on that drive.
“I first-guessed myself wrong on that. That was an excellent job by Sirianni… I would’ve punted. He did not. And that drive sealed the game.”
The Eagles were able to turn a 3rd-and-5 situation into a 4th-and-1 and then a 3rd-and-8 into a 4th-and-1 again. They used the Brotherly Shove to convert in both instances.
“It was at their own 26-yard line,” Meltser continued. “It was like a Brandon Staley special except the fact that they have this indefensible play.”
The controversial play gives the Eagles a leg up on the competition thanks to a strong offensive line.
“How demoralizing do you think it is for an opposing defense to know that it’s basically 1st-and-9, 1st-and-8?” Parkins asked. “It’s not really 1st-and-10.”
“I think it’s an excellent point,” Meltser replied. “It’s not good enough to stop them a yard shy of the sticks. You basically have to stop them with a 4th-and-3 or a 4th-and-4. Because if it’s a yard or less, they’re going. If it’s two yards or less, they’re thinking about it… That makes it extremely difficult to get a stop on defense.”
The Eagles also used the Brotherly Shove to take a 17-3 lead in the second quarter after A.J. Brown was tackled just shy of the goal line. It’s a weapon unlike any other.
“And for like the four-minute drill, icing games away, churning clock,” Parkins chimed in. “All of that stuff, they’re just dominant.”
The Birds will take the Brotherly Shove down to Washington, D.C. for a matchup against the Commanders before the bye week.