The Philadelphia Eagles are facing off against the New York Giants on “Thursday Night Football,” and it didn’t take long for them to use their infamous “tush push” play — one that’s proven to be nearly impossible to stop.
The play becomes even tougher to defend when it’s run four consecutive times, which Philadelphia did with star quarterback Jalen Hurts inside the 5-yard line during the second quarter.
The Eagles used it twice to pick up a first down near the 3-yard line, resetting the downs, and then ran it two more times to punch in a 1-yard touchdown for Hurts, giving the Eagles a 17–13 lead at the time.
That sequence began trending on social media, with several voicing their opinions about the play.
The “tush push” is a play you love if you’re an Eagles fan, and likely hate if you’re not.
During the offseason, teams voted on whether to ban or keep the play, and it ultimately remained legal. Still, the controversy continues, even among some of the league’s biggest stars, with Green Bay Packers pass-rusher Micah Parsons being the latest to voice his frustration.
Parsons took to social media shortly after the Eagles ran the play four straight times, writing, “This is not football,” followed by two garbage can emojis.
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While the play has been around for several years and remains the Eagles’ bread and butter whenever they’re within a few yards of the goal line or a first down, it has sparked plenty of uproar from opposing teams, players, and fans, who have pointed out that the interior guards on the offensive line—key in creating space off the snap—often appear to jump early without being flagged by officials.
That issue came up again on Thursday night.
“How do the officials miss that,” a fan asked.
Someone else added: “But y’all called us soft when we tried to save the league and ban it in the offseason right?”
Another person wrote: “Agreed. It’s a rugby play. Nobody wants to watch that.”
“Terrible looking play. Bad for the entire league,” one more fan commented.
There’s been speculation the “tush push” will be banned next season. In the meantime, don’t expect the Eagles to stop using it anytime this year, especially when teams have shown they can’t stop it.
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