Washington Commanders Ron Rivera Reveals Philadelphia Eagles' 'Big Advantage' With Tush Push
The Washington Commanders face the Philadelphia Eagles for the second time this season at FedEx Field on Sunday as they look to get their season back on track.
But to do that, the Commanders will likely have to do something not many teams have been able to do thus far - stop the Eagles' famed "Tush Push" play. With Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni saying that the offense begins with a 1st-and-9 on every possession, such is the play's success rate, Washington needs to find a way to stop it.
However, what makes the simple Tush Push play so hard to stop? Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera thinks he knows why.
“Well, I think it's basically the technique they use more so than anything else," Rivera said. "The big advantage they get is they crowd the ball, but they know the snap, and that's one of the things that you've got to be able to do. You've got to get underneath their leverage, you've got to stop their leverage and then you've also got to stop [Eagles QB Jalen Hurts] the quarterback who's a tremendous athlete, very strong legged guy. You've got to be able to stop him from going up over the top as well.”
The Eagles' Tush Push play has been nearly impossible to stop.
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What has made the play so effective is that it seems the Eagles are the only team that can convert the short-yardage situations consistently.
While some call for the play to be banned, Philadelphia would be foolish not to take advantage of its ability to execute the Tush Push at a high rate until then.
The Commanders pushed the Eagles all the way to overtime in Week 4 as they lost 34-31 at Lincoln Financial Field, and since then, the two teams have been going in opposite directions.
The Eagles are 2-1, and the Commanders are 1-2 and look to be in freefall.
But if Rivera's team has any hopes of causing an upset on Sunday, then stopping the much-vaunted "Tush Push" play could prove pivotal in halting their dangerous slide.
