One of the signature plays behind the Eagles’ run to a second Super Bowl victory is here to stay.
The NFL owners met on Wednesday to determine the fate of the infamous “tush push,” and the league did not reach the 24 necessary votes to make the play illegal, meaning it will still be allowed after months of debate.
The play is able to be deployed by any team, but the Eagles made it a hot-button issue by running it with sky-high efficiency, as Jalen Hurts was pushed from behind in short yardage situations and driven over the first down marker to keep the chains moving, or to get into the end zone.
The rival Commanders tried timing the snap when they knew it was coming and jumped over the line of scrimmage multiple times when the two teams met in the NFC title game, and the result was several consecutive offsides calls that slowed the game to a crawl, heightening the debate that the play should be disallowed.
Eagles legend and former offensive lineman Jason Kelce went to the meeting to speak in favor of the tush push, and owner Jeffrey Lurie also spoke.
The Packers were the team to initially suggest banning the play, but the issue was tabled at an April meeting. Eagles coaches, players, and members of the front office have all spoken out in support of keeping the play, arguing that it shouldn’t be banned simply because of how effectively they run it. They got their wish, and the tush push will still be an option for the defending champs in the upcoming season.
Philly has used the quarterback sneak in situations where one yard or less is needed for a first down well more than any other team since 2022.