‘Tush Push’ ban rejected: Why Eagles would’ve been just fine had NFL eliminated controversial play

PHILADELPHIA — The “Tush Push” lives on — for now. 

The play the Philadelphia Eagles have essentially perfected went to a vote at the NFL owners meetings Wednesday on whether it should be banned, citing injury and pace of play as reasons (not that one team was very, very good at it). The language in the proposal was to go back to a pre-2005 ruling in the NFL — where assisting a ball carrier was outlawed either by pushing or pulling a runner. 

The Green Bay Packers were the team that proposed the change. They didn’t get enough votes, as the final vote tally was 22-10 (22 voted to eliminate the play, 10 voted to keep it). The Packers needed 24 votes — or 75% of the owners — for the play to be banned. 

If the “Tush Push” was banned, the Eagles didn’t seem too concerned about it. As A.J. Brown described it this week with a smile and a laugh, “I think it’s only 1 yard.” 

There’s a method toward that way of thinking. The Eagles were already successful with the quarterback sneak prior to the “Tush Push.” If the “Tush Push” was banned, they would have still been dominant in short-yardage situations. They just run the play more than everyone else — and were pretty good at executing it.

The Eagles were even better at converting the quarterback sneak, too, long before the “Tush Push” became a thing. 

Masters of the QB sneak 

Eagles QB sneak numbers (pre-‘Tush Push’)

(Regular season stats)

The Eagles ran the quarterback sneak 63 times from 2017 through 2021, converting 55 of them for first downs or touchdowns — an 87.3% clip. Philadelphia was first in the NFL amongst teams that attempted the quarterback sneak for a first down 30+ times in that span. 

Jalen Hurts‘ first full season as a starting quarterback was 2021, as the Eagles converted 13 of 14 quarterback sneak attempts into either first downs or touchdowns. The Eagles were second in the league amongst teams that attempted 10+ quarterback sneaks in 2021, as the Denver Broncos were first at 100%. 

Hitting 92.9% of quarterback sneaks is still an impressive feat, showcasing the players are an important reason why a play is successful. The Eagles had Hurts at quarterback, Jordan Mailata at left tackle, Landon Dickerson at left guard, Jason Kelce at center and Lane Johnson at right tackle in that 2021 season. All four were there during the “Tush Push” era as well.

Eagles better at the ‘Tush Push?’

The Eagles had a higher conversion rate with the quarterback sneak with Hurts in 2021 than with the “Tush Push” — albeit a much smaller sample size. This is the conversion rate for first downs and touchdowns via the quarterback sneak or “Tush Push.”

Philly’s QB sneak numbers (‘Tush Push’ era) 

(Regular season stats)

The percentage actually went down every season, even if the attempts essentially quadrupled. The Eagles actually converted a quarterback sneak or a “Tush Push” for a first down or touchdown on 85.3% of the plays, but ran the play more frequently. The “Tush Push” and quarterback sneak grew into a high-percentage play rather than just a formation used sparingly. 

Here’s what made the “Tush Push” nearly unstoppable. The Eagles’ conversion rate was skewed with the “Tush Push” in their Super Bowl championship season. Philadelphia was 40 of 49 converting the “Tush Push” into a first down or touchdown in the 2024 season (including playoffs). Of the nine times they failed, the Eagles followed with a first down or touchdown on the next play using a “Tush Push” eight times (including two via defensive offside on a “Tush Push” formation).

Essentially, the Eagles just ran the “Tush Push” again if they didn’t convert the first time — and they typically got the first down and the touchdown on the subsequent play. The only time the Eagles didn’t convert the “Tush Push” on the second attempt was after an aborted snap where they kicked a field goal on the next play. That was in Week 1, which was Cam Jurgens’ first start at center in the NFL after Jason Kelce retired.

The “Tush Push” is essentially an unstoppable play for the Eagles, but so is the quarterback sneak. The Eagles don’t need to have their quarterback “pushed” or “aided” in order for him to get the first down, especially with Hurts getting the ball. 

Hurts rushed for 10 touchdowns in the year the Eagles didn’t use the “Tush Push,” so the double-digit touchdowns would still exist for the quarterback. The Eagles just have a cheat code with Hurts and a massive offensive line blocking for him. The “push” is just an added bonus. 

Philadelphia would still be dominant on short-yardage conversions, whether the “Tush Push” existed or not. They may actually be better if they just had to run the quarterback sneak anyway. 

The percentage shows it.