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Schefter: Tush Push On Life Support Amid Latest Criticism of Eagles' Infamous Play

Time may be ticking on Philly's pseudo-QB sneak.
The Eagles have become synonymous with the tush push.
The Eagles have become synonymous with the tush push. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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The Eagles' infamous tush push has once again become a topic of discussion after the team got away with a handful of false starts on the play during their win over the Chiefs on Sunday. From former Steelers coach Bill Cowher to podcast star—and Philly legend—Jason Kelce, everyone seems to once again have a pointed opinion on the matter.

This past offseason, a vote at the NFL owners' meetings to ban the play did not pass, officially allowing the pseudo-QB sneak to be run throughout the 2025 season. The tally was ultimately a tight one, and given the recent scrutiny, ESPN's Adam Schefter believes the tush push is officially on life support.

"I think it was on life support anyway. Frankly, I was surprised it wasn't tossed last year," Schefter said during an appearance on Boston sports radio's WEEI Afternoons. "I think it had something to do with the fact that the Eagles made a compelling case to keep it. They brought it Jason Kelce, they presented evidence that they didn't believe that it posed any additional player safety health risks. And so, I was surprised it was kept last year. And now there's been, again, a lot of negative conversation about it this year."

We're two games in," he continued. "Obviously there will be a lengthy season to still play out. Yeah, I thought it was on life support last year. It survived. I think it'll be on life support [again], maybe it'll survive, maybe it won't."

That's not a good sign for Nick Sirianni, Jalen Hurts, and Philadelphia's short yardage offense.

Tush push talk aside, the Eagles are 2-0 to begin the 2025 NFL season and will host the Rams from Lincoln Financial Field for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff.


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Published | Modified
 Mike Kadlick
MICHAEL KADLICK

Mike Kadlick is an NFL writer for Sports Illustrated. He’s also a New England Patriots reporter for CLNS Media, where he hosts the Patriots Daily podcast and covers the beat from Gillette Stadium. Before joining SI, Kadlick worked at WEEI sports radio in Boston. He holds a master’s degree in public relations from Boston University. When Kadlick’s not covering football, he can be found running, spending time with his wife and dog, and enjoying all things pizza.