A month on from the Philadelphia Eagles romp of the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59, the rest of the NFL is already trying to hamper the Eagles’ efforts to repeat their super bowl success in the 2025 season. Not only are the 31 other NFL teams terrified of Philadelphia replacing Kansas City as the new dynasty of the league, but they’re also now attempting to destroy their biggest weapon, ‘the tush push’. Yes, a simple push of Quarterback Jalen Hurts from the backside by his teammates to gain yardage seems like a very simple play for defences to stop, but with an 82.4% success rate in 2024, the tush push has become a lethal weapon in the Eagles’ arsenal. However, this simple play can undoubtedly be looked at as one of the most polarising in NFL history. It’s a play that even divides the US media, not only with people agreeing on the play’s validity but with disagreement on the name of the play, is it the tush push or the brotherly shove? However, the future of the play is now under threat. League owners will vote at the end of the month to decide whether the play should be taken out of the league, and this leads us to ask, how did we get to this situation? And will the play survive?

The push (pun intended) for the play to be axed from the league has come from the NFL’s most historic franchise, the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay’s CEO Mark Murphy, when stating his reason for proposing the play to be banned, argued that “there is no skill involved, and it is almost an automatic first down on plays of a yard or less.” He is afraid of its impact on the NFL product stating that, “the play is bad for the game, and we should go back to prohibiting the push of the runner.” Murphy’s response is encapsulated by the fact that for years previously, teams would call a Quarterback sneak in short down situations where the quarterback can run behind their offensive line similarly to a tush push but without help from other players behind to push the QB forward. Teams have argued that the tush push could be dangerous for players and that the QB sneak is a better way of protecting their players, but from the three years of Philadelphia’s use of the play injuries have been rather low. In a league constantly changing the game to reduce the numbers of injuries, you can’t argue that the tush push is a threat to player safety, well not more than any other play in American Football.

So why should teams be scared, it’s not like this play is only exclusively available to the Philadelphia Eagles. Why haven’t the rest of the league caught up and been as successful in running the play. Whether it’s the Philly special or the Jet sweep, teams copy plays all the time and are very successful. The Buffalo Bills are prime example of this who unlike many others began to adopt their own tush push throughout 2024, with varying successes. Buffalo’s adaptation of the play showed that teams can use it as a successful ploy to win football games, but it was the Bills’ lack of success in using the play against Kansas City in the AFC Championship that made it clear to the league that ‘the tush push’ cannot be described as an easy first down. The Chiefs often dissected Buffalo’s intent to run Quarterback Josh Allen to the left on each tush push and showed that the play was not impenetrable. This example provides solid evidence that the Eagles’ successes aren’t based on an illegal play but a well-built roster and a superb coaching staff. So, for a league that bases its principles on these ideals, why should there be a need to get rid of it?

The play’s been called boring, it’s been called a cheat code and it’s supposedly ruining the NFL product, but for a league filled with innovate play callers, highly paid athletes and simply monstrous body types, why can’t the rest of the league catch up? Why can’t we see a league filled with teams using the tush push? This attempt from the Packers to push it out the league feels like an attempt to just weaken Philadelphia and not ensure player safety or improve the quality of the league. Yes, if we had a whole league full of teams successfully converting 82.4% of their tush push attempts in short yardage situations then the league would have to worry about its product and the tush push could come under serious questions. However, this is not the case. The tush push is a play that has helped define a superpower in the league and has proven that the NFL is a league full of incredibly talented individuals. For a league known for its innovation, surely teams could find a way to weaken the play’s efficiency and use the play to their own advantage, just like Buffalo tried to during the 2024 season. No play is unbeatable and soon the league will catch up and the tush push will become less efficient than it has been. But while it’s here, take advantage of it. Be the team that dethrones the Eagles and not the team that complains it’s unfair. If taken out, not only could the tush push question the NFL’s lack of enthusiasm for innovation but it could hugely affect the outlook of the league for 2025 and onwards. Quite simply, the rest of the NFL needs to step up their game and stop complaining.

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