Chiefs have surefire plan to stop the ‘Tush Push’ of Philadelphia Eagles, Jalen Hurts
The Chiefs have a formula for short-circuiting one of the NFL’s most successful plays:
Don’t put the Philadelphia Eagles in position to operate the “Tush Push” or “Brotherly Shove.”
“The best thing that we can do is try to not be in those situations,” said Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
By winning on first and second downs and creating long yardage on third down, Spagnuolo said, the Eagles won’t line up in their bunched formation: quarterback Jalen Hurts under center Jason Kelce. That’s when they let strength, momentum and a shove from teammates carry Hurts to the needed distance.
Since the beginning of the 2022 season, the Eagles have turned about a 90% success rate on such snaps.
The Eagles, who visit Kansas City Monday, have even added some wrinkles, including a Tush Push fake — against the Washington Commanders in Week 8 — that resulted in a handoff and rushing touchdown by D’Andre Swift.
The Chiefs saw and felt plenty of Push plays during Super Bowl LVII in February. The Eagles ran it six times, picking up a first down or a Hurts touchdown on each occasion. Philadelphia opened the scoring with Hurts plowing in from the 1, and scored a late touchdown on the same play in a game the Chiefs won 38-35.
“That’s something we talked about after that game, over the offseason,” Chiefs defensive line coach Joe Cullen said. “Just being able to get a little bit lower, do a few things that maybe will help it. ... It’s about stopping it with leverage and people being able to get the quarterback.
“The extra push, the second push, is really what gets you.”
The Chiefs’ defense has improved over last year’s championship edition. Entering Week 11, they’re tied with the San Francisco 49ers in scoring defense at 15.9 points per game. But stopping the Eagles’ push is a difficult task for several reasons, starting with the idea that practice reps don’t help.
“We cannot simulate that in practice,” Spagnuolo said. “It’s an assignment thing. ... It’s a mano a mano deal. They’re pushing us, we try to push them back.”
Other teams have attempted the push play since the Eagles made it a staple, including the Chiefs earlier this year. On a field-goal attempt against the Denver Broncos in Week 6, tight end Noah Gray shifted behind center, took the snap and was pushed forward. He needed 2 yards and got 1.
The Chiefs won’t call a similar play with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback. The last time he was involved in a quarterback sneak. Mahomes suffered a dislocated kneecap in a 2019 game at Denver.
No team runs the short-yardage push as well as Philly and the 223-pound Hurts. It starts up front with Jason Kelce and one of the NFL’s best offensive lines.
“They have a such a good offensive line who have done really, really well so far this year,” Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones said.
Best way to stop it? Never let the Eagles line up to push or shove their way to a first down or touchdown.
“We’re just going to try and do everything we can to keep them out of those situations,” Cullen said. “We want to make it third and long.”