The Super Bowl 59 rematch added another chapter to the growing rivalry between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs, two teams that have now met twice on the game’s biggest stage and, on both occasions, faced each other again in the following regular season.
In the Super Bowl, each team claimed a win. But in the rematches, the Eagles came out on top both times, with both victories taking place at Arrowhead Stadium. Still, the game was not without controversy, especially surrounding the NFL’s most debated play: the tush push.
Fans Rage Over Lack of Penalties on Eagles’ Tush Push Plays
The NFL has recently turned its attention to improving the rules of the game, something that’s evident in efforts to make the kickoff exciting again. Over the last five years, rule changes have been frequent, from shifting starting field position on fair catches to incentivizing more returns.
The same has happened with penalties, technological advancements, and one play in particular that was at the center of one of the most debated votes this past offseason. The tush push, or brotherly shove, is a modified quarterback sneak popularized by Philadelphia as the go-to call on fourth-and-one situations, and it works almost every time.
The tush push is already unstoppable.
These have to be called false starts. pic.twitter.com/zPwb4KrZTM
— JPA (@jasrifootball) September 14, 2025
Against the Chiefs, however, fans were outraged over an issue that was part of the push to ban the play in the first place. The claim was that offensive linemen were getting away with false starts. One fan posted on X: “Refs helping the Eagles (of course) are we shocked.”
Refs helping the Eagles ofc are we shocked
— Pint🫘 (@himmybutler_iv) September 14, 2025
Beyond being labeled unsportsmanlike for relying more on brute force than tactical execution, critics point to player alignment and early movement as reasons why the play should be banned.
“Why do the refs allow the Eagles to line up incorrectly in the Tush push while also allowing them to false start?” a fan said.
Why do the refs allow the Eagles to line up incorrectly in the Tush push while also allowing them to false start?
— Chris Raine (@CraineRaine) September 14, 2025
The Chiefs, who have long been accused of benefitting from favorable officiating on penalties and field position, are now being overshadowed by the controversy surrounding the tush push. One fan commented: “Wow so the refs don’t cheat for the Chiefs no more, they cheat for the gotdamn Eagles smh.”
Wow so the refs don’t cheat for the Chiefs no more, they cheat for the gotdamn Eagles smh
— Maurice Stephen “Stackz” (@stephenstackzz) September 14, 2025
This has fueled a narrative that the league wants the Eagles to win and is actively helping make it happen. While that sounds more like a conspiracy theory than reality, the scrutiny of the tush push is only growing.
NFL wants the Eagles to win. East coast bias. The refs are in the Eagles pocket. All it cost was a hoagie made by big dom.
Just using the same template as what was tweeted all last year— Seb’s lovely hair (@mgjones05) September 14, 2025
One fan pointed out that a similar infraction went uncalled earlier in the game: “Eagles did the same false start on the goal line TD push. Refs are clearly not paying attention,” he wrote on X.
Eagles did the same false start on the goal line TD push. Refs are clearly not paying attention.
— Mizzou Bill (@Firebill88) September 14, 2025
On the replay, both guards can clearly be seen moving early, yet no flag was thrown.
It’s something to keep an eye on in the upcoming weeks, especially since officiating tends to react after high-profile mistakes — and this one happened in the most-watched game window, a Super Bowl rematch.
