Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Commanders from Lincoln Financial Field on December 21st, 2021.
Obtained from Wikimedia Commons.
Painstakingly predictable, boring to watch and upsetting to see, the Philadelphia Eagles are having yet another season that proves the National Football League will have to pry their esteemed “Tush Push” out of their hands.
The beloved play, dubbed the “Tush Push,” acts as an easy and foolproof way for teams to gain short yardage. In most cases, this is used to gain a first down or a touchdown. The play takes place when the quarterback takes the snap and chosen offensive players push him full force at the defensive line.
The history of this play is more recent than one might expect. The Eagles first introduced the Tush Push in 2021, before it became a staple in their games starting in the 2022 season.
This play has sparked a whirlwind of controversy within the NFL, as coaches and fans alike have expressed their distaste for its vulgarity. Raheem Morris, Atlanta Falcons head coach, said, “There’s just no other play in our game where you can absolutely get behind somebody and push them.” The legality of the play is consistently questioned, as Morris explained. There is no play quite like it in the NFL.
These concerns have not gone unheard. In fact, prior to the 2025 NFL season teams attempted to get this play banned. The Green Bay Packers were the first to bring this consideration to the table, however the act needed 24 votes to successfully ban the play. It fell short with only 22 votes.
Consequently, the “Tush Push” remains a legal play for the time being. While every NFL team has the opportunity to use this play, the Eagles seem to be the only one who can consistently pull it off. Since 2022, the Eagles have run the “Tush Push” with a 91.3% success rate while converting third-and-one or fourth-and-one plays.
However, the problem with the play is not the assured success of it, but the fact that other teams are incapable of stopping the play from occurring.
This was a clear point made during week six of the 2025 NFL season when the Philadelphia Eagles were facing the New York Giants. During this game the Eagles ran the “Tush Push” four times in a row, which led to them ultimately scoring a touchdown. After watching a team run the same play four times in a row, it begins to simply feel like lazy football and is boring to witness.
Regardless of how lackluster the play may be when it comes to fairness and actual competitive sportsmanship, safety is also a major concern.
While the play is successful, the risk might at some point outweigh the reward. It is imperative to understand the fact that these plays are subsequently ramming the quarterback at full force into the defensive line of the opposing team and hoping for the best.
In all honesty, there has not been an extreme rise in injury and there is no counter link to the “Tush Push” being responsible quarterback injuries. However, it seems like very backwards thinking to put the quarterback of a team directly in the line of fire. When the whole game of football is consistently revolving around protecting the quarterback, the act prohibits most teams from running a basic quarterback sneak.
An NFL player who has been outspoken about this is Tanor Bortoloni, center for the Indianapolis Colts. When asked about his opinion on the “Tush Push,” he answered with the honest sentiment, “You really hate to put your quarterback in a spot where he can just get drilled like that.”
The opinions expressed by the columnist are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The News Record. If you have any concerns or feedback, please feel free to reach out at editor@newsrecord.org.