Eagles Fire Back Over Rams Criticism of Contoversial Play

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The “tush push,” a short-yardage quarterback sneak aided by linemen and backs pushing from behind, has been nearly unstoppable. Philadelphia used it seven times in its Week 2 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, converting five of them, one with a penalty attached.

Rams head coach Sean McVay specifically addressed the play ahead of the showdown:

“Anytime that you see certain things, you have conversations with the league office to make sure you’re understanding, how is it officiated? How can we coach it?” McVay said, per Pro Football Talk. “I did see some of those things last night, and that’ll obviously be a big talking point because they’re such a damn good team and it’s such a successful play for them.

“Those are conversations with the league office, but I’m sure they’ll have the same ones and operate within the confines of not getting a little bit of a rolling start before the ball is snapped.”

Eagles Coach Nick Sirianni Pushes Back

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni downplayed the criticism, emphasizing that slow-motion videos can make the play appear illegal even when it is not.

“I think that the one clip I saw of it was slowed down so much that I’m not sure you can see that to the naked [eye],” Sirianni told reporters, via NFL.com. “I mean, it was slowed down so much. And I get how we can manipulate things and show things like that. But it was slowed down so much, it was like…” he added, mimicking beats with his hands to emphasize timing.

Sirianni stressed that perfection is essential to keep the play clean:
“We understand that we have to be perfect on that play. And we’ll keep working on being perfect on that play… There’s things they do too on defense that sometimes you can’t see to the naked eye all the time, or the refs can’t see it also in that time to the naked eye. So you can do that with a lot of plays in football and slow it down.”

The Bigger Picture: Eagles vs. Rams

Sirianni argued that every play could be scrutinized if slowed down enough, highlighting the challenge officials face in split-second decisions. Still, the Eagles know opponents — especially the Rams — will use any perceived early movement as ammunition in the debate over the play.

“We know we have to be perfect in that setting, and we’ll work to get even better at the play and better with our timing,” he said. “I have no doubt we have the right guys to be able to do it, and we will.”

What Comes Next

The NFL isn’t changing the rules yet, meaning the Eagles will continue to run the tush push against teams like the Rams. If controversy persists, the discussion over a potential ban could resurface in 2026. Until then, Philadelphia is signaling that the play will remain a key weapon — and the Rams will have to find a way to defend it.