One of the worst parts of the Philadelphia Eagles' 24-15 loss to the Chicago Bears was how one mistake with the Tush Push exposed them.
While Jalen Hurts was sneaking the ball in for what was supposed to be an easy third-and-one conversion deep in the Bears' territory during the third quarter, cornerback Nahshon Wright ripped the ball out of Hurts' hands and recovered the ball. Hurts losing that ball was a massive turning point in the game, and any momentum the Eagles had built was gone.
A reporter asked Hurts about how the Eagles can improve on the Tush Push moving forward. The star quarterback didn't seem too worried about it, as he knows the team has other options for getting that one yard needed.
"There are multiple ways to run a quarterback sneak. There are multiple ways to attack short-yardage defense and short-yardage opportunities. And over my six years of being here, we’ve done that in multiple ways. So just being able to have the versatility there, when needed, and knowing we have a great weapon with what we’ve been able to do with the quarterback sneak, but being able and just have all different things available for that. Those are things that are being discussed.”
Hurts isn't fazed about Tush Push
Even after the Eagles' loss, Hurts acknowledged that the Tush Push was getting tougher to execute as teams are slowly figuring out how to stop it. It's a play that some probably feel wouldn't be a favorite for Hurts and the offensive line, since it is such a physical play with bodies lying on top of each other.
The numbers show that Hurts wants to throw the ball more, and reports have said he asked for fewer QB-designed runs to protect himself. Hurts has since refuted that, but again, the stats show he's on pace for the worst rushing season of his career, so it remains to be seen whether he's willing to run.
While Eagles fans may not be big fans of offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, the one thing to give him credit for is the creativity with play-calling on the Tush Push. A few times, they have had Hurts toss the ball to Dallas Goedert on a screen pass out of the formation or done a halfback toss to Saquon Barkley that was a touchdown in the Kansas City Chiefs game.
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Whether these creative plays will always work is one thing, but the Eagles are starting to slowly realize that the Tush Push can't always be used and they need other ways to pick up a yard. It doesn't always have to be a shove.