The Philadelphia Eagles have mastered a short-yardage play known as the “tush push,” a technique that has sparked debate across the NFL. Led by quarterback Jalen Hurts, the Eagles run this play to perfection, routinely picking up important short-yardage situations. Behind Hurts, that’s because the team’s offensive line and tight end Dallas Goedert have paved the way for him. At the same time, running back Kenneth Gainwell shoves him from behind, making a mostly legal play into an especially dangerous weapon. That effectiveness is exactly why it’s been left so often for dead, with calls from almost two-thirds of NFL teams to ban it outright.
On October 8, 2023, during a game against the Arizona Cardinals, the Eagles faced a first-and-goal situation at the 1-yard line with 8:06 remaining in the first quarter. The Eagles took full advantage this year with a perfect tush push. Out of all the available plays to run, it’s at an astounding 96.6% success rate on fourth-and-1s dating back to 2022. By contrast, the league average for non-tush pushes is a paltry 67.0%.
Though undeniably effective, the tush push has sparked safety concerns from general team executives and coaches. The Green Bay Packers proposed to ban the play during league meetings in May, resulting in a narrow defeat with 22 teams voting for the proposal. Brian Gutekunst, general manager of the Packers, stated, “It’s not about success, it’s about safety here.” As he noted, the play may have worked, but it’s the type of gainful contact that has a high risk of resulting in catastrophic injuries.
Until recently, defensive players have shared their appreciation for the Eagles’ use of the tush push. Sebastian Joseph-Day praised the team’s mastery of the play, saying, “I can’t hate that they mastered it… Shout out to their coach, shout out to their players. They just got it down. They got it down to the T.”
The Eagles’ offensive dominance with the tush push is a world away from NFL teams. Yet under head coach Shane Steichen, the Indianapolis Colts used push plays only three times the entire season in 2023, per data from Sports Info Solutions. They failed to gain a single first down on any of those plays. The second place team in tush push attempts this year is the Chicago Bears with 16 tries, but they don’t come close to Philadelphia’s efficiency.
Kellen Moore, offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers, noted that replicating the tush push is complicated for other teams. “It’s not the same replication that it is in Philly,” Moore remarked. This feeling is echoed by other players and coaches. They would admit that even though they may be attempting the same plays, they are not hitting the timing and execution that the Eagles are hitting.
Quarterbacks such as Patrick Mahomes have played a large role in shaping the way teams use to try and convert short-yardage situations. His 2019 right patellar dislocation might have changed his team’s offensive philosophy on such plays. Then you have someone like Trevor Lawrence, who is 6’6, 220. His bruiser size has made him a popular speculator, as he sounds like the secret weapon for the best tush push.
We could have saved ourselves the hype 500 times over if we had just mentioned Hurts’ tremendous skill at slicing through defenses with this move. Yet, worries for player safety remain. DeForest Buckner commented on the Eagles’ unique approach, stating, “There’s some secret ingredient that they got going on over there compared to everybody else.”
As discussions around banning the tush push continue, it remains clear that this play is not simply about success on the field but about how teams prioritize player safety. Coaches like Brian Flores acknowledge the physicality involved in executing such plays: “There’s certainly a lot of contact on that particular play.”
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