There’s no Brotherly Love after the Super Bowl Lix Champions Eagles pummeled the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the NFL playoffs.
But after the Eagles went on to beat the Rams, Commanders and Chiefs to become champions and got their own beat down by opposing media and fans all season long, the Packers are resorting to putting blame on one infamous Eagles play – the Tush Push.
For those who don’t know, the Tush Push, a.k.a. Quarterback Sneak or Brotherly Shove, is a play meant to aid the runner (in this case, Jalen Hurts) by pushing him forward a few yards to get the first down.
This play is controversial for one good reason and one bad one. The bad? Some say it’s “too easy.” The Eagles convert it 90% of the time, while the rest of the league hits 75-85%. So what? It’s too easy for them? That’s because they draft players who can execute it. The Tush Push is simple—most teams just aren’t built for it.
Philly’s O-line is, on average, an inch taller and 24 pounds heavier than a typical NFL line (Philadelphia Today, Global Sport Matters). Even if every team had their size, the play would still favor strong QBs like those on the Ravens and Bills, leaving weaker QBs behind.
For context, the next “easiest” NFL play—play-action—has a 60-70% success rate. The Eagles dominated that too, ranking fifth in usage from Weeks 8-11 of 2024.
The real argument against the Tush Push is injury risk. While football inherently leads to injuries, banning plays for safety would at least help the NFL’s image. A better move? Tweaking the play to improve safety while making it harder to run and defend. If a rule change comes, expect it to be under the banner of “player safety.”
So now, CEO Mark Murphy is chirping away about wanting the Tush Push to end, he writes:
I am not a fan of this play. There is no skill involved and it is almost an automatic first down on plays of a yard or less. (See above comments on why this was proven inaccurate.)
The series of plays with the Commanders jumping offsides in the NFC Championship Game to try to stop the play was ridiculous. The referee even threatened to give the Eagles an automatic touchdown if the Commanders did not stop it. (Yes, the Commanders continuously jumped offsides. Though exceedingly uncommon, the NFL actually rarely gives out penalized touchdowns, so yes, this is okay.)
I would like to see the league prohibit pushing or aiding the runner (QB) on this play. There used to be a rule prohibiting this, but it is no longer enforced because I believe it was thought to be too hard for the officials to see. (They don’t enforce the rule anymore because referees are too busy enforcing phantom calls in the Chiefs favor. Next.)
The play is bad for the game, and we should go back to prohibiting the push of the runner. This would bring back the traditional QB sneak. That worked pretty well for Bart Starr and the Packers in the Ice Bowl. (So if the Tush Push was the Packers’ play, it would all of the sudden be okay? Draft better.)
It’s obvious the Packers, being the first team in NFL history to lose in Brazil and also lose to the same team in two different countries, to be jealous of the Eagles success. That being said, they really just need to try better.
With the Scouting Combine happening right now, the Packers main focus should be on their own team, or they’ll just continue to be a laughing stock of the NFC North.
First & Jenn 
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