Tush Push – Eagles’ Controversial Power Play: Will This Dominant Move Be Banned by Super Bowl LX?

In Super Bowl LIX, a replay review early in the game showed that Philadelphia Eagles receiver Jahan Dotson was just short of a touchdown, down at the 1-yard line. Everyone knew what was coming next.

And everyone knew it wasn’t going to be stopped. That’s what bothered the rest of the NFL.

The NFL did not take away the Eagles’ cheat code. In a proposal brought forth by the Green Bay Packers, there were 22 teams that voted to ban the tush push, a play that everyone is allowed to run but only the Eagles have nearly perfected. But 24 votes were needed, so it failed. Just like that Super Bowl tush push touchdown by Jalen Hurts after Dotson was stopped, the Eagles got across the goal line. As always.

The vote was hardly about injury risk — if the NFL banned all football plays that could lead to injuries, Sundays would be 22 players standing around looking at each other across the field — but rather jealousy, frustration and resentment.

The right call was made. Even if it helps keep the Eagles at the top of the NFL.

Eagles have a special edge

The tush push isn’t the reason the Eagles are Super Bowl champions, or probably even in the top 10 reasons.

The Eagles had the best defense in the NFL last season. Saquon Barkley had perhaps the greatest single season a running back has ever had. Philadelphia has tremendous receivers, a good offensive line and practically no weakness. They were 16-1 after September and it wasn’t because of one play.

But a proposal to ban a Barkley toss play, an A.J. Brown go route or Jalen Carter blowing up the pocket by bull rushing a guard would have been ridiculous. There were 22 teams that weren’t as ashamed to vote to ban a play the Eagles have happened to master.

There is clearly a big advantage for the Eagles. They succeed 87% of the time on the tush push. The rest of the league is at just 71%. That kind of efficiency is huge in short-yardage situations to keep drives going.

That doesn’t mean the play should be illegal. But it certainly is a big boost for a team when it knows it will pick up nearly every fourth-and-1 or goal-line play.

Jalen Hurts scored the first touchdown of Super Bowl LIX on a tush push. (Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
 (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Eagles have perfected tush push

The Eagles are so good at the tush push, it has become synonymous with them. Every team is allowed to run it, but it was former Eagles center Jason Kelce at the NFL’s spring meeting stumping to not ban the play. Any of the 22 teams that voted to rid the league of the play are allowed to get the personnel required to be great at the play, or to practice it until it’s automatic, but it was the Eagles doing a victory lap on social media after the play survived.

That’s partially because the Eagles know what it means for them going forward.

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Perhaps some team will unlock the answer key to stopping it, though you’d think that would have happened by now. Or the rest of the league will figure out better ways to run it and get as good at it as Philadelphia, negating the Eagles’ advantage.

Until then, a team that ran away with a Super Bowl championship still has a play for critical situations that they run at a much higher success rate than any other team.

There will be plenty of moments this season, like that first touchdown of Super Bowl LIX, in which the Eagles get into a short-yardage situation and the opponent will be deflated before Philadelphia even lines up. It’s a mental edge as much as a physical edge for Philadelphia. Look at how the frustrated Washington Commanders lost their minds trying to jump over the line repeatedly in the NFC championship game, an embarrassing moment for them in a big game. But they had no other option because they knew they couldn’t stop the play. Nobody has been able to.

Just imagine how excited the Eagles will be to run the tush push for the first time on Nov. 10. That happens to be the first time they face the Packers this season.