NFL owners held off voting on the Green Bay Packers' request to ban the hotly debated QB sneak play - dubbed the "tush push." The owners need more information about how it affects player safety and game tactics.
Numbers show the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills dominate with this play, succeeding on 87% of tries. Other NFL teams manage just 71%. Ever since the Eagles started doing this in 2022, teams have been quick to copy their approach.
"I feel where I'm most concerned is, even though there is not significant data out there to this point, my biggest concern is the health and safety of the players, first and foremost," said Bills coach Sean McDermott to ESPN.
Since teams began using this play, the competition committee has looked into it three times. Now, for the first time, a team wants to get rid of it entirely.
New England's Mike Vrabel strongly backed the play. "There's a lot of plays that are hard to defend, and I don't think that you can get rid of them every time that you have a tough time stopping it," he told Sports Illustrated.
To ban the play, 24 teams need to support it. While the NFL shared details about possible injuries, nobody has gotten hurt doing it so far. The Eagles got really good at this move thanks to Jalen Hurts' ability and their strong offensive line.
To run the play, players huddle tight behind their QB and push forward after the snap. It's basic but works like a charm.
Owners will take another crack at deciding the play's future in May. This break lets teams think about the actual risks and rewards of this game-changing move.
