The Chiefs seemed to have the Bills‘ version of the ‘tush push’ all figured out in the AFC championship game, becoming more effective at limiting the play as the game went on and ultimately turning momentum back in their direction when they stopped Josh Allen on fourth down early in the fourth quarter.

Stopping the Eagles‘ version of the play, which they have popularized under Nick Sirianni, will be an entirely different challenge.

Quarterback sneaks are certainly not the Eagles’ invention, but Philadelphia’s powerful offensive line, along with Jalen Hurts’ size and strength, changed the way play was structured and gave the offense an element few other teams could replicate.

The Eagles were forced to readjust in 2024 after Jason Kelce’s retirement, but they have managed to stay nearly unstoppable when they run their signature play. 

Here’s a look back at the timeline of the Eagles’ ‘tush push’ and its success rate. 

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Eagles’ ‘tush push’ timeline

2022

The tush push, or “Brotherly Shove” as some have labeled it, will forever be associated with the 2022 Eagles, who reached the Super Bowl and came within three points of a championship behind a stellar offense that deployed the quarterback sneak often.

The Eagles went 25-of-27 on quarterback sneaks in 2022, according to ESPN, typically putting two players behind Hurts to push him ahead for the first down. An offensive line that included Jason Kelce, Landon Dickerson, Jordan Mailata, Lane Johnson and Isaac Seumalo helped set the tone for the play, and Hurts was built well enough to stave off injury concerns.

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2023

While the Eagles’ 2023 season might be better known now for a late-year collapse that ended in a wild-card round exit, the tush push remained quite successful. Philadelphia converted on 35-of-42 quarterback sneaks, according to ESPN, remaining effective whenever the offense found itself in a short-yardage situation. 

While the Eagles’ success rate was down slightly from 2022, they were successful enough for the play to remain a central part of the offense going forward. The drop in success may not simply be the result of the Eagles running the play less effectively. Instead, they were less selective about when to use it because of how dominant it was in 2022.

Can’t stop the Brotherly Shove

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📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/1dOevJjoZZ pic.twitter.com/XxtOa29sK4

— NFL (@NFL) November 26, 2023

The result was a career-high 15 rushing touchdowns for Hurts. The tush push is even safer at the goal line, where the play becomes dead as soon as the ball crosses the goal line, and the Eagles are at their best when they have the ball down to the 1-yard line — even if Frankie Luvu is lining up against them. 

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2024

This season came with a new wrinkle, as Kelce retired in the offseason and gave way to an inexperienced Cam Jurgens at center. Jurgens was a natural center, but whether the tush push would remain so effective without Kelce’s strength behind Hurts was a mystery. 

To the delight of Eagles fans, the offense has had no problem running the tush push effectively without Kelce in the mix. After a couple of miscues in Week 1, including a fumble after a botched exchange between Jurgens and Hurts, the Eagles figured out how to run the play without Kelce, and it’s looked remarkably difficult to stop ever since.

After a series of events… Touchdown Eagles!

📺: #WASvsPHI on FOX
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/sk2r9bBJ2I

— NFL (@NFL) January 26, 2025

After breaking out the tush push a handful of times in the NFC championship game, the Eagles will undoubtedly be using it whenever necessary in Super Bowl 59, undaunted by the Chiefs’ success stopping the Bills’ attempts. 

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Eagles ‘tush push’ success rate

Data from the 2024 season is still coming in, but the Eagles were successful 92.6 percent of the time when running the tush push in 2022, and they increased the frequency of the play in 2023 with 42 attempts for an 83.3 percent success rate.

MORE: SN’s Super Bowl 59 staff picks

Will NFL ban the ‘tush push?’

Some fans grew frustrated with the tush push formation in 2022 and pressed for the NFL to ban it, a sentiment that was shared by commissioner Roger Goodell, The Athletic reported.

Despite the pressure, no rule change was introduced. NFL executive vice president of football operations said in May 2024 that no proposal would be made to ban the tush push, putting off the possibility of a ban for at least another year.

Of course, the quarterback sneak itself could not be banned. What can be banned is the formation that allows two players to line up behind the quarterback and push him forward. Many argue the play is simply good football and wouldn’t be as successful for other teams, and the Bills’ tush push struggles in the AFC championship even with an imposing quarterback go to show the play isn’t as automatic as some believe. 

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