Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts nearly carried the team to victory in Super Bowl LVII following a season that saw the team unleash a seemingly unstoppable play where Hurts’ teammates pushed him for extra yards. Unfortunately for the Eagles, that may not be allowed next season.
Led by their 6-foot-1 and 223-pound quarterback, Philadelphia boasted one of the most dominant rushing attacks in the NFL. Hurts finished second on the team in rushing yards (760) and rushing touchdowns (seven), while Miles Sanders delivered his first 1,000-yard season.
- Philadelphia Eagles rushing stats (2022): 152 rush ypg (4th), 2.1 rush touchdowns per game (1st), 58.33% rushing touchdown ate (1st), 10.1 rushing first downs per game (1st)
While the Eagles’ rushing attack itself often overpowered teams, one specific play proved even more effective. Typically known as the quarterback sneak, Philadelphia would line Hurts up right behind center Jason Kelce with two players behind him.
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In the following example, also used by The Athletic, running back Kenneth Gainwell tries pushing Hurts into the end zone. When that doesn’t work, tight end Dallas Goedert carries him past the goal line for the touchdown.
The play is technically league under the NFL rules, despite some guidelines against “assisting the runner” into the end zone. However, it appears the Eagles might need to go back to the drawing board next season.
Dean Blandino, the former NFL vice president of officiating and now a rules analyst for Fox Sports and The 33rd Team, shared this week that he expects the league’s competition committee to address the play and likely recommend changes before the 2023 season.
“I think the league is going to look at this, and I’d be shocked if they don’t make a change.”
NFL rules analyst Dean Blandino on Philadelphia Eagles’ “Tush Push” play
Kalyn Kaw=hler of The Athletic covered the ‘two-cheek sneak” in-depth, providing insight into its development of it and how many teams around the NFL feel about the exploitation of loopholes in the rulebook.
“Not one team thinks it’s fair. Every team has complained, but you’re allowed to push so basically they reinforced the rules so they didn’t have to talk about it again.”
NFL analytics staffer on Philadelphia Eagles’ “Two-Cheek Sneak” (H/T The Athletic)
With the help of TruMedia, Kahler’s research found that the play helped the Eagles post a record-setting 90.6 percent conversion rate on their 32 quarterback sneaks this past season. Of course, it was also used in the Super Bowl and resulted in Hurts’ third rushing touchdown.
The numbers reflect how opponents felt when facing it, viewing it as practically impossible to stop.
“They’ve taken it to another level. One guy is on each cheek and one guy is behind, and all three are pushing him forward. That makes it real difficult to stop.”
New York Giants defensive line coach Andre Patterson on Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback push play
One play certainly isn’t what led to the Eagles having one of the best offenses in the NFL last season. However, the likelihood of a rule changing against Philadelphia’s favor and the departure of Shane Steichen will have some negative effects on this unit.
