KANSAS CITY, M.O— We’re only two weeks into the NFL season, and football’s most divisive play is already back in the spotlight.
Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones voiced his frustration with the infamous “Tush Push” following Sunday’s Super Bowl LIX rematch loss to the Eagles, reigniting debate over a formation that seems more and more like a “cheat code.”
Philadelphia leaned heavily on the tactic, running it seven times and converting six—including once for a touchdown—in its win over Kansas City.
The play’s legitimacy has been questioned since its inception in 2022, with critics arguing it gives offenses an unfair advantage and raises injury concerns. NFL owners revisited the issue this May but ultimately voted 22-10 to keep it legal.
Jones, however, made clear after Sunday’s defeat that his skepticism remains.
“Sometimes you can’t get all the calls right,” the Chiefs captain said.
“Just because we see it, sometimes the official is 15, 20 feet away, and sometimes they can miss those small things. We think [they] jumped multiple times, but an official didn’t see it so it wasn’t called, and we’ve just got to go and play the next down,” he continued.
It appears that football fans are agreeing with Jones’ statements as well: “The Eagles commit about 5 penalties during a Tush Push, and the NFL just doesn’t call them. Center is offsides, guards false start. Ban the play, one user on X wrote.
Even Fox Sports’ NFL rules analyst, Dean Blandino, voiced his irritation at the play, telling commentators Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady that “I am done with the tush push, guys,” during Sunday’s matchup.
“It’s a hard play to officiate, like we’ve been talking about. So they either ruled progress or that Hurts was down. Really hard to see what’s happening with the football. We’re inside two [minutes] so replay has looked at this and they’ve determined that there was no fumble,” Blandino explained.
Kansas City’s loss wasn’t solely on the Tush Push—Patrick Mahomes’ shaky outing (187 yards, one interception) also hurt their revenge bid—but the reigning AFC champions now find themselves 0-2 for the first time since 2014.
Meanwhile, the defending Super Bowl champs are 2-0, and with 15 weeks still ahead, Nick Sirianni’s ace in the hole figures to remain a hotly debated topic.
