The “tush push” has become one of the most controversial plays in the NFL. The Philadelphia Eagles’ super-sized quarterback sneak was the target of a proposal looking to ban the play at this year’s owners’ meeting.
The proposal was not successful, falling two votes shy of the 24 needed for approval. Let’s look at the teams that saved the play.
Which Teams Voted ‘No’ on ‘Tush Push’ Ban?
The Eagles began using the “tush push” during their run to Super Bowl 57. They unfortunately couldn’t get over the Kansas City Chiefs hump that year, but they found their signature play.
Phiadelphia’s offense finished No. 14 in PFSN’s Offense+ metric with explosive offensive pieces like Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Saquon Barkley leading the way. However, their most effective play last year was a super-sized QB sneak.
The “tush push’ is essentially a modified rugby scrum where players push the quarterback from behind so he can surge over the line to gain. According to ESPN, the Eagles had a 93% success rate with the play in 2022, going 25-of-27. That percentage dipped to 83% in 2023 with the Eagles going 35-of-42.
Future Hall of Famer Jason Kelce was the point man of the play for its first two years of existence, and recently offered to speak with NFL owners to debunk any questions. On a recent “New Heights” episode, he said, “There were some things said at the last owners’ meeting, some of the owners and coaches hinted that the reason I stopped playing was because of the tush push, and that I got hurt on the tush push frequently.
“I’m just going to answer any questions people have about my partaking in this play.” He went on to say that he would gladly come out of retirement if the “tush push” was the only play he ran. The main argument against the play was that it presented a heightened injury risk, however, there hasn’t been any data to back that up.
The NFL allowed the pushing and pulling of players with the ball in 2005. Before that, plays like the “tush push” would have been illegal. The proposal brought on by the Green Bay Packers, which was suggested by the NFL, was broadly worded to ban any pushing of a ball carrier, but it was clearly targeted at the Eagles.
The motion did not pass, with 10 teams voting it down. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted out the list of teams that voted against banning the play.
NFL needed 24 votes today to ban the Tush Push, but got only 22. Here are the 10 teams that voted against the Tush Push ban, per sources:
🏈Eagles
🏈Ravens
🏈Browns
🏈Lions
🏈Jaguars
🏈Dolphins
🏈Patriots
🏈Saints
🏈Jets
🏈Titans— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter)
Schefter tweeted, “NFL needed 24 votes today to ban the Tush Push, but got only 22. Here are the 10 teams that voted against the Tush Push ban, per sources: Eagles, Ravens, Browns, Lions, Jaguars, Dolphins, Patriots, Saints, Jets, Titans.”
The Detroit Lions, interestingly, were the only other NFC team to vote alongside the Eagles. Dan Campbell is the type of coach who would love that play, and would probably like to run it himself.
The Eagles were still the best QB sneak team in the NFL, despite their percentage dropping to 81.2% last season. The Buffalo Bills ran the second-most QB sneaks in 2024, going 29-of-37, including the playoffs. That’s a 78.4% success rate, but when it mattered most, their sneak play was stopped (controversially) in the AFC Championship Game.
Bills’ head coach Sean McDermott is on the league’s competition committee, and spoke out against the play, despite his team being highly proficient at its own version of the QB sneak.
The vote being so close likely means it will come up again after the 2025 season. The Eagles will have at least one more year to re-establish their dominance in gaining one yard. Expect some hurt feelings in Philadelphia when the motion inevitably passes.