โThere's certain phenomena on earth that - once you pass a tipping point - there is no stopping it. The stars will explode.โ
But the โit' in question, according to renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson speaking to the NFL Network, isn't a black hole or a cosmic collapse.
โWhat I'm telling you now is the Tush Push formation [is unstoppable]... Just hang it up. Take it. Let's move on.โ
Amid the many contentious terms circulating in the NFL world - refs, turf, and scripted among them - none seem to carry quite as much weight as the Tush Push.
The Tush Push, a variation of the quarterback sneak, has become one of the most effective plays in recent years, particularly in Philadelphia. The Eagles are about to take the field for their second Super Bowl appearance in three years, thanks in no small part to their flawless execution of the play they dub โThe Brotherly Shove'.
The play is typically run on third or fourth down when only a short distance remains to gain a first down or score. It involves players lining up behind the quarterback and physically pushing them forward, maximising momentum to secure the needed yardage.
It's simple, it's effective, and it's completely legal. So what's the problem?
It hasn't always been allowed
โI am not a fan of this play. There is no skill involved and it is almost an automatic first down on plays of a yard or less,โ Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy wrote on the team's website this week.
โThe play is bad for the game, and we should go back to prohibiting the push of the runner.โ
As Murphy points out, the NFL once banned any form of assistance to a ball carrier - whether by pushing, pulling, or carrying them. However, in 2005, the league revised the rule, allowing pushing while keeping pulling and carrying illegal.
Murphy also points to the "ridiculous" series of plays in the NFC Championship game, where the Washington Commanders repeatedly jumped offside near the goal line in an effort to stop the Brotherly Shove.
With no other way to counter the move, the refs, growing frustrated with the Commanders' persistent penalties, threatened to award the Eagles a touchdown if they did it again - a rarely enforced "palpably unfair" rule that left viewers shocked.
Even without referee intervention, the Eagles' go-to play proved unstoppable once again. They executed it five times against Washington, converting four (including two for touchdowns), effectively stamping their ticket to the Super Bowl.
Only one team has truly mastered it
While the Eagles' version of the Tush Push is nearly unbeatable, that's not true for every team in the league.
The Eagles' success rate for the Brotherly Shove was 92.6% in 2022. In 2023, with an increased frequency of use, it dropped slightly to 83.3%. The 2024 season is on track to finish around the same rate as the previous year.
To achieve such a high success rate, the Eagles have leveraged their unique strength to create a formation that other teams are unable to replicate.
Their five starting linemen average 6-foot-6 and weigh 338 pounds - more than an inch taller and 26 pounds heavier on average than their Kansas City Chiefs counterparts. In fact, the Eagles' starting line is the tallest and heaviest in Super Bowl history.
This size and strength are crucial, especially with many comparing the move to a rugby scrum. The Eagles are uniquely poised to execute it, thanks to offensive lineman Jordan Mailata - an Australian who grew up playing rugby before making the switch to football in the U.S.
โI think it's bulls**it, pardon my language,โ Mailata said on 94WIP's Player Lounge Show of the rugby comparisons.
"First off, the scrum and ruck in Rugby is way harder than a tush push or Brotherly Shove.โ
โIt's got nothing to do with the pushes, it's got something to do with the QB who can squat 600 pounds."
Whether rugby expertise plays a role or not, the Buffalo Bills' attempts at the Tush Push in the AFC Championship Game lacked the same execution the Eagles displayed.
The Chiefs were largely able to shut down the play throughout the game. The defense clocked onto the fact that quarterback Josh Allen rushed through the left guard each time, successfully stopping three of the Bills' quarterback sneaks.
It clashes with the NFL's player safety priorities
In recent years, the league has taken a stronger stance on reducing long-term injury risks, introducing Guardian Caps and enforcing stricter officiating standards.
Allowing the ball carrier to be crushed between thousands of pounds of force on both sides feels counterintuitive in an era where CTE concerns and quarterback protection dominate the conversation.
Additionally, referees tend to let scrums play out longer before blowing the whistle compared to a standard tackle.
Ironically, no team knows this better than the Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes' quarterback sneak in Week 7 of the 2019 season against the Broncos ended in disaster when he suffered a dislocated kneecap, forcing him to miss multiple games.
Since then, the Chiefs have avoided the play entirely.
Despite this, in 2023, the NFL's executive vice president of communications, Jeff Miller, stated that a league investigation found โnothing notableโ regarding an increased injury risk on Brotherly Shove plays.
Roger Goodell, the NFL Commissioner, also told reporters in 2023 that he has not yet made up his mind surrounding his stance on the Tush Push debate.
โI haven't taken a position on that one,โ Goodell said.
โLast year, the [rules] committee had a lot of different views on that. I want to hear that again this year. I want to hear how people talk about it. I think we want to look at, โIs there enough data to talk about the safety of it?'โ
The Super Bowl decides
While Goodell and the committee have yet to take further action on the play, opposition to it grows louder as the Eagles continue to dominate with it.
The outcome of the Super Bowl could shape the future of the Tush Push. If the play proves as instrumental in securing the Lombardi Trophy as it was in getting the Eagles there, pressure for change may reach a tipping point.
Or, if the Chiefs' defense continues its impressive streak of shutting down the play - just as it did against the Bills - it could weaken the argument that the Tush Push is unstoppable, potentially preserving its place in the game.
The Chiefs, however, aren't so sure that will be the case.
"I really don't," Chiefs Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo admitted when asked by FOX Sports on Wednesday whether he thinks the Tush Push can be stopped.
โEverybody's gonna tell you the same thing, the best way to defend is not be in that situation, because they're so effective at it.โ
โI hope we don't have too many of them. And we have a plan. We'll try to execute it as best we can. But if we have to line up and go first-and-10 after that play, that's what we'll do."
Is it fair to ban a play just because one team dominates it? I'm inclined to say no.
As long as the rulebook allows it, finding a loophole and building an offence designed to exploit it better than anyone else seems like fair play. The Tush Push isn't truly unstoppable, and its rise in recent years suggests defenses may simply need more time to develop an effective counter.
If teams believe the risk to their quarterback isn't worth it, the Chiefs have shown that you can avoid the play entirely and still achieve massive success.
One major factor I haven't yet mentioned is the viewer experience - simply put, the play is dull to watch. It often guarantees an extra yard without any deception or creative formation, making it less exciting for fans.
Despite the validity of other arguments, entertainment value could be the main factor that leads Goodell and the league to implement a ban. The pressure may increase after an Eagles victory or another controversial incident, like the Commanders' chaotic attempts to stop the play.
The NFL is stepping into a new era.
With global expansion and rising viewership, this season has already seen changes like a more dynamic kickoff restart and increased investment in entertainment, such as Beyoncรฉ's Christmas halftime show. The league is embracing it all.
Whether the Tush Push becomes a controversial relic or a key strategy moving forward will depend on the decisions made in the upcoming off-season.
The ball is now pushed into the league's court.
