Lions-Eagles ‘SNF’ Clash: Aidan Hutchinson Shares His Thoughts on Tush Push Debate

The Lions voted against banning the tush push over the offseason.

Aidan Hutchinson and the Lions take on the Eagles in Week 11 | David Reginek-Imagn Images

The 6-3 Lions travel to Philadelphia to take on the 7-2 Eagles in the Week 11 edition of Sunday Night Football.

Leading up to the game, Lions coach Dan Campbell was asked about the Eagles famed and controversial short-yardage scrum play affectionately known as the tush push. Campbell wasn’t interested in tush push talk, stating the play is the least of his concerns as the Lions have a lot of other things to defend before that.

Detroit’s star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson spoke with Sports Illustrated last month on behalf of Head & Shoulders as part of their campaign to tackle dandruff-causing microbes and bring scalp health to the national stage. He shared his thoughts on the tush push, which go hand in hand with Campbell’s.

“That’s why we all love Dan and his mentality because if we’re going to go out there and try to beat you, we want to beat you at your best,” Hutchinson said in an interview with SI. “That’s [Campbell’s] mentality. You keep that tush push and we’re still going to go out there and try to find a way to win. And that’s what I love about him.”

Earlier this week, Campbell advocated for the tush push to stay legal in the NFL because, as a football purist, he thinks if you take one thing out of the game, then more things will come out of the game. The Lions were one of 10 teams that voted against banning the play over the offseason. Although the offseason vote was close, the tush push remained legal, at least for the 2025 season.

Campbell has been a proponent for keeping the tush push throughout the debate. In April, he said that, “[The Eagles] found something and it’s up to everybody else to stop it.” His Defensive Player of the Year candidate shares the same sentiment. Coming off a crushing season-ending injury last year, Hutchinson has seven sacks, four forced fumbles and two pass deflections through the first nine games of the year. We’ll see if the Lions defense has to figure out how to halt the tush push Sunday evening.

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