The tush push isn’t a particularly riveting play. Its unremarkable form is part of the reason it remains legal. After a few infractions that went unpunished while running the play last week, the NFL is keeping a close eye on it going forward.
NFL Watching Eagles’ Tush Push Play Closely
“NEW: The NFL said in its officials’ training tape sent to teams this week the Eagles should have been called for false-starting on the tush push Sunday against the Chiefs, instructing officials to call ‘these plays tight,'” Washington Post NFL reporter Mark Maske wrote Thursday on X.
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay took notice of the handful of uncalled false starts the Eagles committed in their win over the Chiefs last Sunday. The Rams take on the Eagles this week.
NEW: The NFL said in its officials’ training tape sent to teams this week the Eagles should have been called for false-starting on the tush push Sunday against the Chiefs, instructing officials to call “these plays tight.”… https://t.co/NC6fFserKw
— MarkMaske (@MarkMaske) September 18, 2025
“Anytime that you see certain things, you have conversations with the league office to make sure you’re understanding, ‘How is it officiated? How can we coach it?'” McVay said earlier this week. “I did see some of those things last night, and that’ll obviously be a big talking point because they’re such a damn good team and it’s such a successful play for them.”
McVay concluded, “Those are conversations with the league office, but I’m sure they’ll have the same ones and operate within the confines of not getting a little bit of a rolling start before the ball is snapped.”
There was a similar gripe with the play after last season’s NFC Championship game, which vaulted the Eagles into the Super Bowl. However, it was on the other side of the ball. The Washington Commanders repeatedly jumped offside in an effort to time up the snap and stymie Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts. FOX rules analyst Mike Pereira said afterward that he expected the Competition Committee to consider banning the tush push.
Former Eagles center Jason Kelce believes Hurts could get the same sort of yardage needed on a traditional quarterback sneak, pointing out that the “pushing portion” of the play isn’t what has people in an uproar at the moment.
“Officials being more stringent on players aligning in the neutral zone and false starts is the only way to stop what everyone has an issue with,” Kelce wrote on X. “And I get it, there were at least a couple from the game that were too early, and should be called false starts.”
He further wrote, explaining, “It is an extremely hard thing to officiate, and good players on both sides of the ball jump the snap and use the neutral zone to their advantage on multiple downs and plays throughout the game. Getting rid of the tush push will not stop the issue everyone is riled up about.”
