NFL makes ruling on Commanders' rival patented play

The Washington Commanders and the rest of the NFL can still attempt to perfect one of the league’s most polarizing plays, the “tush push.”

The Philadelphia Eagles' patented quarterback sneak, in which players line up behind quarterback Jalen Hurts and physically push him over his linemen, has gotten a lot of scrutiny from NFL players, including Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu, coaches, and fans.

On Wednesday, owners voted against a proposal that would have effectively banned the short-yardage quarterback sneak that the Washington rival has infamously mastered, according to the Athletic's Dianna Russini.

BREAKING: The Packers' proposal to ban the tush push did not receive the required 75% support from the NFL's owners to pass, per source.

The tush push remains alive. pic.twitter.com/CVEhTjUuAO
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) May 21, 2025

While some believed momentum was growing to eliminate the play, the Commanders and 21 other teams didn’t cast enough votes to make that a reality. League sources told The Athletic that only 22 teams voted for the Green Bay Packers’ proposal to ban the play, two shy of the required 24-vote threshold. Among the 10 teams that voted against the proposal were the Ravens, Patriots, Lions, and Jets.

Washington fans may recall how the Eagles’ version of the tush push has become nearly unstoppable, helping them score 30 touchdowns and convert 105 first downs since 2022 on short-yardage QB runs. In the NFC Championship game, Luvu went viral for attempting to jump over the pile multiple times to stop the play, but ultimately failed.

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie passionately defended the play in front of NFL owners prior to the vote, stating:

“Whoever votes to ban this play is taking liability for putting risk on our quarterbacks.”

During an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn gave his stance on what he thinks about the play and what he intends to do moving forward.

“My two cents, I’m gonna keep digging as hard as I can to make sure we find ways to defend it better and…In terms of adding the play, stopping it, you know, we got a lot of smart people in charge of that,” Quinn said.

Despite health and safety concerns, the vote means the tush push remains legal — and the Eagles, and perhaps the Commanders in time, will continue leveraging it for short-yardage gains.

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