Eagles' Tush Push Evolution: Innovative Twists Lead to Two Touchdowns

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Philadelphia Eagles scored on a pair of quarterback sneak fakes in Sunday's 31-25 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, showing there's more to the tush push than a yard and a cloud of dust.

"It's an exciting play. Makes it pretty exciting, right?" said coach Nick Sirianni, using the moment to support a play that has its fair share of detractors across the league.

The initial variation came midway through the first quarter. Quarterback Jalen Hurts got in an athletic stance under center on first-and-goal as if he was about to sneak it but instead passed it underhand to tight end Dallas Goedert, who followed a caravan of blockers into the end zone.

"I was really happy we got it called," Goedert said. "I think we put it in about four years ago, maybe five, when the staff first got here, and it worked to perfection."

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The Eagles faced a third-and-1 from the Bucs' 6-yard line late in the third quarter. Philadelphia lined up in the tush push formation, but this time Hurts handed it off to Saquon Barkley, who ran to the outside and waltzed into the end zone untouched.

"Great call by KP [offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo]," Barkley said. "It's an answer that we have, and it's definitely going to put teams on ... teams are aware of it too now."

The Green Bay Packers submitted a proposal to ban the push sneak this offseason -- an effort that fell short by two votes. The play has remained under scrutiny this season, including following the Eagles' Week 2 win over the Kansas City Chiefs when coach Andy Reid suggested Philadelphia "got off early" on multiple sneaks against them. Shortly thereafter, the NFL sent out a memo instructing officials to call the play "tight" going forward.

Though some in the league clearly don't like it, Sirianni pointed to the play's popularity. He even saw a Pepsi commercial featuring the tush push while watching the Steelers-Vikings game Sunday while the team was en route to Raymond James Stadium.

"It seems like fans like the play," Sirianni said, "and it was pretty exciting today to get a touchdown pass off it, or two runs that come off of it, to make that play what it is."