Another week, another controversy in a Philadelphia Eagles game. It might not be a direct causation, but the coincidence between the reigning Super Bowl champions being the most scrutinized team in all of the NFL has been going on for two straight years now. In the Eagles’ case, the biggest source of the discrepancy is their signature play, the Tush Push.
After becoming one of the most unstoppable moves to gain short yardage in the entirety of football, Philadelphia has come under the microscope after a few weeks ago, when Tom Brady pointed out, on the broadcast booth no less, that the offensive line is constantly making line of scrimmage infractions or false start penalties to secure an advantage. When those same problems came back against the New York Giants to give them a touchdown, fans were left understandably aghast.
Fans Fuming at Another False Start Tush Push in Eagles vs. Giants
Thanks to an electric start from rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, the Giants built an early 13-3 lead in the first quarter. However, the spirit of a champion has the Eagles chewing away at the deficit one play at a time.
After getting to 13-10, they once again found themselves in the red zone, trying to add to the scoreboard. Subsequently, they ran four consecutive tush push plays to get into the end zone, gaining a 17-13 advantage.
On at least one of those four plays, a pivotal fourth-and-inches situation, the replays clearly showed false starts from the Eagles’ offensive line. There was immediate outrage on social media, especially after the NFL made it clear that it would be monitoring such instances more clearly.
Among the first to express their anger was one of the best defensive players in the sport, Micah Parsons. He was ready to get the play called off entirely, seeming in favor of the proposed ban in the offseason, claiming, “This is not football!”
This is not football! 🚮🚮
— Micah Parsons (@MicahhParsons11) October 10, 2025
Even respected analysts like Ari Meirov couldn’t contain their anger, “If the #Eagles want the Tush Push to stay in the game, running it four straight times in front of a primetime audience isn’t going to help. That’s not an opinion — just facts of the matter. There’s no way anyone in the league office enjoyed watching that.”
If the #Eagles want the Tush Push to stay in the game, running it four straight times in front of a primetime audience isn’t going to help.
That’s not an opinion — just facts of the matter. There’s no way anyone in the league office enjoyed watching that. https://t.co/PwnvP7AIol
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 10, 2025
The anger at watching a play that has quickly become “boring” to witness as a fan was a major source of fan frustration. Another fan added, “That sh*t was so lame, why is the coach looking at his play sheet, all buddy does is call the tush push. They really do need to ban it, as a viewer watching 3 tush push play calls in a row…. And a touchdown off of it… Awful watch.”
oooooooooh pic.twitter.com/WNJ1Hs31Py
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) October 10, 2025
But for most people, the biggest source of frustration was the officiating. As the false start did not get called once again, a fan wrote, “Ban that cheating play, man,” while another believed this game was making the perfect case: “Now this is why the NFL should ban the play.”
Ban the damn play already or call it fairly. Ffs
— TacticalKeef (@tacticalkeef) October 10, 2025
For New York fans, who were seeing their lead evaporate in a matter of minutes, the anger was especially justifiable. One fan seethed, “Ban the f*cking play if they can’t officiate it correctly, not hard. It’s f*cking bullsh*t and it’s gone on long enough.”
“Another false start on the Eagles Tush Push,” said another fan. “These refs are ridiculous.”
It’s going to be interesting to see how the rest of the game plays out. But after their Week 2 clash against the Kansas City Chiefs firmly put the tush push controversy in the spotlight, the Eagles might need to be careful, or the topic of the ban could be broached again this offseason.