The Philadelphia Eagles ran the Tush Push on back-to-back plays against the Los Angeles Rams during their first offensive drive of the game. NFL officials missed a clear false start and/or neutral zone infraction.
This latest incident will only contribute to even louder calls for the play to be banned.
The NFL heard all of the criticism from last week and vowed to make a change. And yet, here we are again…
Is it time to ban the Tush Push?
A vote to ban the ‘Tush Push’ flopped during the offseason. It was presented as a player safety issue.
However, there is an ever-growing support in favor of the ban after the first nine quarters of the 2025 regular season because of a new wrinkle. Fox Sports rules analyst Dean Blandino said he is “done” with the Tush Push because it is a “hard play to officiate.”
Multiple videos that have since been scrubbed from the internet showed clear infractions by the Philadelphia Eagles against the Kansas City Chiefs last weekend. The league even admitted to wrongdoing.
It sent out a memo during the week calling for referees to pay extra attention moving forward.
“We want to officiate it tight. We want to be black and white and be as tight as we can be when we get into this situation where teams are in the bunch position and we have to officiate them being onsides, movement early. … Prior to the snap, looks like we have movement by the right guard. We also have movement coming across from the defensive side.”
Well, the memo did not make a difference. The Tush Push shenanigans continued on Sunday.
The Philadelphia Eagles committed a false start penalty.
Philadelphia lined up in Tush Push formation at the four-yard-line against Los Angeles. It had three plays to drive the ball into the end zone.
The first attempt was a clear false start. Watch the right guard.
— – (@Spicoli_____) September 21, 2025
Not only did the Eagles’ offensive line move before the ball was snapped, multiple players got set with their heads out in front of the ball. Per the rules as they are written, that should be considered a Neutral Zone Infraction. Here’s another look:
It appears there was a missed false start on an Eagles tush push.
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 21, 2025
Soon after, they scored a touchdown… On a tush push!
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/5iozl3TKXn
The officials did not call either penalty. Jalen Hurts advanced the ball forward on the first of two glorified quarterback sneaks. He scored a touchdown on the second. Philadelphia made sure to rub it in.
So much for the memo! NFL officials were told to watch the Tush Push for false starts and neutral zone infractions. They allowed a false start and a neutral zone infraction on the first drive of the game.