Just two weeks into the 2025 NFL regular season, criticism—and confusion—is growing around the Tush Push, which was nearly banned this past offseason.
On Sunday, Fox Sports rules analyst Dean Blandino, who was the NFL’s VP of officiating from 2013 to 2017, voiced his frustration with the play during the Eagles’ 20–17 victory over the Chiefs.
“I am done with the Tush Push, guys,” Blandino said when Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady brought him in to analyze a Philadelphia quarterback-sneak play late in the fourth quarter Sunday. “It’s a hard play to officiate, like we’ve been talking about.”
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts appeared to have potentially fumbled the ball, but the mosh pit of players made it difficult to determine what actually happened. “So, they either ruled progress or that Hurts was down—really hard to see what’s happening with the football,” Blandino said. Ultimately, it was ruled that Hurts did not fumble.
Philly Special
Philadelphia is continuing to lead the way in successful Tush Push short-yard conversions this season, after franchise owner Jeffrey Lurie made a significant effort to save the play from being banned.
In May, NFL owners narrowly voted to keep the Tush Push, with 22 voting in favor of banning it, and 10 voting to keep it; 24 votes are needed to make a rule change. The vote was a surprise following multiple reports that there would be enough support for the ban. However, Lurie and former Eagles center Jason Kelce each spoke passionately before the other team owners in defense of keeping the play legal.
Pushing Down the Road
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has previously cited safety concerns of the Tush Push play, as well as its perceived aesthetic unpleasantness, more akin to rugby than American football.
Team owners will meet in October for their annual fall meetings, and while it’s likely the Tush Push will be discussed yet again there, it would be unprecedented for the league to make a major rule change midseason.
Should another vote to ban the Tush Push occur, the 2026 spring meeting (March 29 to April 1 in Phoenix) could be a logical time for that to happen.
