The “tush push” storm didn’t rattle the Eagles’ locker room; it lit a fire. After their hard-fought 20-17 victory against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Eagles found themselves facing a wave of criticism over their signature short-yardage play. Many pointed fingers at the offensive line for false starts, suggesting that the sneaks were bending the rules. Yet, the Eagles remained unshaken.

Head coach Nick Sirianni defended the play Monday, acknowledging the margin for error is thin but praising the team’s execution. “We know we have to be perfect with it,” Sirianni said. “It was just a good effort because when you’re running that play, everyone knows you’re running that play. There’s something pretty cool about being able to execute a play when you know exactly what’s coming.”

Veteran center Jason Kelce didn’t hold back. He added perspective on the controversy, noting how razor-thin the timing is in real game situations. “The one in the goal line, and I do think this play—people love to point out the false start thing. I think it is very difficult when you see these things in real time,” Kelce said. He added, “Everybody’s taking pictures of it. They’re saying they’re in the neutral zone and false-starting because they slow it down to 1,000 frames per second.”

He explained that officials and fans reviewing footage frame by frame make the plays seem earlier than they appear. Kelce warned that the Eagles will now be under intense scrutiny, with every snap examined closely. And called for caution as officials begin to crack down on neutral zone infractions.

He argued the outrage missed the real issue—timing at the line, not the push itself. “Banning the tush push doesn’t even stop what they have an issue with… Officials being more stringent on players aligning in the neutral zone and false starts is the only way to stop it,” Kelce said. He warned, “Everybody will be looking at this… They need to be very, very cautious because the calls are going to be starting to come.”

Tackle Jordan Mailata echoed that frustration, calling it “absolute rubbish” to credit the win solely to the tush push. He further said, “It pisses me off because we give so much to this game. To say we won it off a short-yardage play disrespects our defense and special teams, who had our backs the entire game.” He then praised the defense and special teams for carrying the game while the offense sputtered. Even offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo joined in, joking that “Some games they call it close, some games they don’t. Defense is always lined offside anyway.”

Despite the controversy, the Eagles are holding their ground. The defense snagged the only turnover of the game, Saquon Barkley found the end zone early on, and Jalen Hurts executed some crucial sneaks to run down the clock in the fourth quarter. Philly is now sitting pretty at 2-0, while the Chiefs are struggling at 0-2 for the first time since 2014.

For the Eagles, the debate over the tush push is just background noise. What truly counts is their execution, teamwork, and the results on the field

Jason Kelce breaks down why banning the “Tush Push” won’t fix the real problem.

Jason Kelce made it clear that banning the tush push isn’t going to address the real issues being discussed. In his responses to fans online, he pointed out that if officials think the Eagles are committing false starts or lining up in the neutral zone, those same problems could easily happen during a regular quarterback sneak.

“Banning the play, which, whatever, go ahead, will not impact the Eagles doing exactly what everyone has an issue with this week,” Kelce wrote. “If the refs allow Eagles players to align in the neutral zone and jump the snap count, they will do that on regular quarterback sneak as well.”

Kelce admitted that the only valid reason he has heard to outlaw the play is the idea that pushing the runner is inherently unfair. But he dismissed arguments about safety and officiating difficulties as baseless. “The safety concerns people have with zero evidence, or the issue with false starts, actually won’t be solved,” he argued.

When one fan claimed that false starts were obvious and could be easily flagged. Kelce pushed back, saying that in real time, tiny flinches just before the snap are nearly impossible to call live. “A small flinch on its own is easy to see; when it is timed milliseconds before a snap where everyone is moving, it is incredibly difficult to see,” he explained.

For Jason Kelce, the criticism misses the mark. It’s the Eagles’ execution that makes the play effective, not some loophole. He emphasized that until referees start consistently calling neutral zone infractions and false starts, banning the push itself won’t prevent Philadelphia from succeeding in short-yardage situations.