The San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles have built quite a rivalry over the past few seasons. The Eagles beat the 49ers in the 2022 NFC Championship Game, 31-7, when San Fran quarterbacks Brock Purdy and Josh Johnson were unable to throw the ball after suffering injuries.
After an offseason of what-ifs, the 49ers returned to Philadelphia in 2023 and beat the Eagles, 42-19. The loss dropped the Eagles’ record to 10-2 and started their spiral to an 11-6 record and first-round playoff exit.
Now, the rivalry is even extending to people who aren’t playing or coaching on Sundays.
49ers CEO Jed York sends message to former Eagles center Jason Kelce
The 49ers were reportedly one of the teams to vote in favor of banning the tush push, the quarterback sneak variant that the Eagles have perfected in short-yardage situations. There needed to be 24 votes for the Green Bay Packers’ proposal to pass, and only 22 teams voted in favor of it.
The tush push will continue.
Former Eagles center Jason Kelce went to Wednesday’s meeting with Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie to lobby teams to vote against the ban. The 22-10 vote shows his words may have had an influence.
49ers CEO Jed York recognized Kelce on X after the voting.
Ton of respect for @JasonKelce definitely owe you a bourbon or two
— Jed York (@JedYork)
Those in favor of banning the Eagles’ go-to play pointed to player safety and pace of play as reasons for the suggested rule change, despite no concrete evidence supporting those claims.
The play took center stage in the 2025 NFC Championship Game in January when the Eagles hosted the Washington Commanders. In the fourth quarter, with the Eagles leading 34-23, running back Saquon Barkley was tackled at Washington’s 1-yard line. The Eagles lined up for the tush push six times in a row. Four times, the Commanders were called for penalties.
Washington defensive tackle Jonathan Allen was called offside when Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts was stopped on the first attempt. Still first down, Hurts was stopped again, a rare occurrence on the tush push. The next two tries, Washington All-Pro linebacker Frankie Luvu attempted to time the snap and jump over the line of scrimmage to slow the quarterback in the backfield. He fell for Hurts’ hard count and was called for encroachment both times. Official Shawn Hochuli threatened to award the Eagles a touchdown if Luvu didn’t stop.
Allen was flagged for encroachment on the fifth play at the goal line when Hurts continued to use a hard count, but the score was not awarded. Finally, still second down, the Eagles pushed Hurts into the end zone for the score.
Two weeks later, Hurts scored the first points of the Super Bowl on the one-yard shove. The Eagles went on to beat the Chiefs, 40-22.
Maybe the owners will try to recruit two more votes and do away with the play next offseason, but for now, Kelce can continue to watch his Eagles dominate in short yardage.
He can even enjoy a couple of drinks courtesy of York along the way.
