Chiefs fans frustrated with ‘Tush Push’ after Sunday’s game
Kyle Schmidt
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The highly anticipated Super Bowl rematch between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs left fans irate and they took over social media.
The Eagles ran a version of the quarterback sneak, fans have called the “Brotherly shove” and the “Tush Push,” seven times against the Chiefs in a game Kansas City fell 20-17.
“If you can’t officiate it, it shouldn’t be in the game,” Chiefs fan JR Zbierski said.
Fans noticed on the broadcast and at the game, when the play is slowed down, many offensive linemen for the Eagles are moving before the snap. If this is ruled a penalty, it would back the offense up five yards and a new play would be called.
“It’s very clear that every one of their players is lined offsides or leaving early,” Chiefs fan Randy Widener said. “It was like every time it happened it was like, ‘ok here we go again…’ We’re never going to stop it, it is just a free play for them.”
An already controversial play was put up for a vote before the season started, as some teams wanted it banned. 24 votes were needed to ban the tush push and the play received 22, falling just two votes shy.
The play drew in eyeballs in 2022 when the Eagles ran their own rendition of the Quarterback sneak. Instead of the quarterback picking a gap to the right or left of the center, Philadelphia added a “pushing” aspect to the play. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is known to be one of the strongest at his position, aided by a talented offensive line.
The Eagles found a near-perfect play for picking up short yardage. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the play was improved with the help of a Scottish rugby coach, Richie Gray.
The Eagles have a 91% success rate since 2022 running the play and a near 97% on fourth down, according to ESPN.
“It goes back to size, strength and leverage,” Head football coach at MoWest Tyler Fenwick said. “If you watch the Eagles when they do it, those guys get really low, they get down almost like they drop to their knees and bear crawl.”
The one-sided dominance was not enough for the play to get banned, but Chiefs fans have other reasons they believe it should no longer be called.
“The defense doesn’t have a shot because the offensive linemen, one are getting a jump on the play,” Zbierski said. “They’re going low and typically if a defender goes and tries to make a tackle low at the knees like that… It’s a penalty.”
Zbierski also worries about player safety with the play.
Fans also spoke about the play being a “rugby play.”
While it may look like a rugby scrum, coach Fenwick says otherwise.
“At the end of the day, it’s a football play,” Fenwick said. “No different than a quarterback draw, it’s just the quarterback running the ball, just a lot of bodies up there.”
Another positive he noticed with the Eagles is because of their commitment to the play, they can show ‘tush push’ formation but run to the outside instead.
Offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at MoWest, Todd Throckmorton, said it is a tough play to stop and an advantage can be created if the center is over the ball and other linemen are getting off the snap early.
“The physics of it, you have all those big bodies and then you got a big quarterback that’s strong, then you got a guy pushing on him,” Throckmorton said. “Those guys are getting lower and getting underneath the D linemen and once you get that force going forward, it’s hard to stop them from getting that one yard.”
The Kansas City Chiefs currently sit at 0-2 for the first time since 2014, Andy Reid’s second year with the team, and will look to bounce back against the New York Giants.
“I’m not really for it being banned as long as it is ran right,” Zbierski said. “Them false starting six of the seven times, it’s already a disadvantage for the defense as is, so if you let them do it every time, then there’s no chance to stop it.”
