Why It’s Time for the Rams and Sean McVay to Consider the Tush Push

As the Los Angeles Rams lost to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1, arguably the turning point of the game was Matthew Stafford getting stuffed on a quarterback sneak at the one-yard line. Instead of the Rams matching the 49ers’ touchdown drive, the Rams remained behind 17-7. After the 49ers went 99 yards down the field to score another touchdown, the Rams went from having a three point deficit to a 17 point deficit within the span of 15 minutes.

There are two parts to a coach’s decision to go for it on fourth down. There is the actual decision and then then the execution of the play. Both of those things are completely separate entities. From a decision standpoint, the Rams made the correct decision to go for it on fourth down. RBSDM gave the Rams a +6 percent increase in win percentage. Additionally, ESPN analytics gave the Rams a +9.5 percent increase in win percentage.

As we know now, head coach Sean McVay called a quarterback sneak with Matthew Stafford, who was stuffed short of the goal line. “I just got to find a way to get it,” said Stafford after the game.

However, at the same time, it’s up to the head coach and play-caller to put the offense in the best position to succeed. It would be fair to argue that McVay didn’t do that with the quarterback sneak.

Matthew Stafford’s QB Sneak Numbers Highlight the Problem

Since 2021, Matthew Stafford has just a 71.4 percent success rate on quarterback sneaks via Fantasy Points Data. That’s nearly 12 percent less than the league average of 83 percent. Among 55 quarterbacks with at least five quarterback sneaks since 2021, Stafford’s 71.4 percent success rate ranks 42nd.

The NFL keeps trying to find reasons not to sneak it.

The numbers keep saying: sneak it.

Since 2022, on 3rd/4th & 1, or any snap from the 1-yard line:

QB sneaks:
81.8% success rate
+0.45 EPA/play

All other plays:
63.8% success rate
+0.03 EPA/play

There may not be another… pic.twitter.com/2rTmPEZuZr
— Ryan Paganetti (@RyanPaganetti) July 8, 2026

The idea behind the playcall isn’t bad. A quarterback sneak is around 18 percent more successful than all other plays in those situations. The issue is simply that Stafford isn’t good at executing it. In those same situations, Kyren Williams has an 84.2 percent success rate since 2021. Williams is the only player with more than 20 attempts in those situations and has the highest success rate. The next-closest player is Jaylen Warren at 81.8 percent.

Even if the Rams preferred not to run it, Stafford and Adams were nearly unstoppable inside the five last season. Adams wasn’t even on the field for the quarterback sneak play.

Whether it’s a matter of principle or something else, it’s worth wondering if the Rams should consider implementing a ‘tush push’-type play in short-yardage situations. For McVay to be one of the best offensive minds in the NFL and not have a tush push package is seemingly a missed opportunity.

One thing I'm highly curious about — I understand Stafford is brutal at QB sneaking it. Why don't the Rams emulate what some other teams (see: Seattle) do and plug a TE in there to go get it? Or a backup QB even? I'm less of a fan of that but there are options https://t.co/SODKnikSC5
— Sosa Kremenjas (@QBsMVP) September 15, 2026

McVay and the Rams were one of the teams against the tush push when it was reviewed by the NFL competition committee before eventually being passed.

“What I don’t like is the optics of that play,” said McVay at the time. “Looks like a rugby scrum. And there are some health and safety things, which those things exist in short-yardage and goal-line situations as well…But I also wish we didn’t let the play in in the first place in regards to just the optics of what it looks like. Doesn’t look like football to me.”

Rams Have Other Options for the Tush Push

It makes sense that the Rams wouldn’t want to put a lot of physical pressure on Stafford’s back in a ‘tush push’ type play. With that said, Stafford wouldn’t even need to be at the center of it. With the number of tight ends the Rams have on the roster, it’s hard to understand why one of them can’t be used in that type of package.

If everyone in the world knows you’re going to tush push if you line up in that formation, why won’t teams that have QBs that can’t sneak, just use a TE to do it. Even if it isn’t as effective as the Eagles, it’s better than what they are doing now without the threat of a sneak…
— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) October 9, 2025

At 252 pounds, Terrance Ferguson would seemingly be perfect. If the Rams would rather use a depth tight end, Davis Allen would make sense as well. Given Stafford’s lack of success with the quarterback sneak, it simply seems odd that the play is still considered a viable option.

The Seattle Seahawks have used the tush push with tight end AJ Barner. Barner has a 90 percent success rate on QB sneak plays. Ironically, the only time Barner was stopped was against the Rams.

AJ BARNER TUSH PUSH#NFL #Seahawks #GoHawks #Patriots #NEPats pic.twitter.com/SxwsHNLcCp
— Dom (@ZeroChillSports) September 10, 2026

The Baltimore Ravens have had success using the play with Mark Andrews, as he’s had a 73.3 percent success rate. Tight end Connor Heyward has a 76.9 percent success rate on QB sneak plays as well.

McVay may not like how the tush push looks, but given the lack of success that Stafford has had with the quarterback sneak, it’s something to consider adding to the playbook. They have multiple tight ends capable of filling that role and creating another option in short-yardage situations.

Going for it on fourth down against the 49ers was the correct decision. McVay has evolved in his fourth-down decision making over the last few years. However, the playcall itself was questionable.

In each of the last two years, the Rams have lost a game to the 49ers in large part because they were stopped on fourth-and-short. It may be time to consider alternative options and implementing the tush push is one of them.

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