It was announced today that the tush push play, mainly popularized by the Philadelphia Eagles, will not be banned for the upcoming 2025-26 NFL season.

The short-yardage play itself is a quarterback sneak in which the supporting players give an extra push to the ball handler from behind through the line of scrimmage.

The vote that would have had to be 75% approved by teams was short by two votes. Since 2022, the Eagles have had the most sneak plays with 108, the next was the Buffalo Bills with 55. Also, the Eagles have seen an 87% success rate with the play, the league average is 71%.

The teams that voted for the play to stay: The Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets and the Tennessee Titans.

The Eagles weren’t the only team to use the play by any means, but they were the most effective with it. Here’s why it’s good that the play hasn’t been banned — yet.

The tush push doesn’t guarantee success

Much like the percentages shown above, though teams have seen success from the play, it doesn’t have a 100% success rate. The reason being is, it’s a matter of two teams trying to conquer the point of attack and the line of scrimmage. There’s no big unfair advantage for the offense accept for determining when the ball is snapped. There’s been other teams that have tried the play and couldn’t convert on first down or a 2-pt try, or get a touchdown. It takes practice to master the play, and even then, a strong enough frontline on defense can put a stop to it.

We’re not going to see the play throughout the entire NFL

A big reason for the Eagles and Bills having success isn’t necessarily the offensive line as much as it is the guy carrying the football. Jalen Hurts is 6-foot-1, 223 pounds, and was recorded back in college squatting 600 pounds — the guy is strong. Part of the tush push is the quarterback piling his way through bodies and driving with his legs. Of course having guys supporting from behind helps that, but it doesn’t become as effective with most other quarterbacks in the league. Josh Allen is 6-foot-5 and 237 pounds. It’s the big quarterbacks that are seeing the most success.

Patrick Mahomes tried a sneak couple of seasons ago and injured his knee, now we rarely see the Kansas City Chiefs try the play. Though it wasn’t a tush push, it shows the danger anytime a quarterback throws his body in a pile. It’s a risk for the offense as well when using the play. It’s a play not for everybody, so it’s not like that’s all we’re going to see through the NFL.

No excuses, up your defense to prevent seeing play called

I’d imagine this would be every offensive coordinators reaction. The tush push is used for short yardage in order to keep a drive alive or to score. Therefore, if the defense is able to keep a team away from the first down line or pile-on more than three yards, they should be fine. The Tush Push makes up for a small portion of teams touchdowns and first down conversions. Since 2022, only 12 teams have scored using the Tush Push.

In conclusion, the Tush Push isn’t taking over the NFL by storm nor is it going to make the game boring. As Hurts and other superstar QB’s gets older I actually expect the Eagles to use the play less. Sit back and enjoy an added part to the game of football.