When the Kansas City Chiefs hosted the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in week 2 at Arrowhead Stadium, nobody expected the game to come down to Travis Kelce missing one catch in the end zone. But that’s exactly what happened on September 14. The Eagles walked away with a 20-17 victory that left Kansas City searching for answers.

On the new episode of the New Heights podcast, the tight end spoke about his own regret over the dropped pass.

He said, “In the end zone right before half, yeah. I feel like we have a better chance at getting a field goal there late instead of a touchdown.”

Watching his brother’s mistake cost the Chiefs crucial points, even the retired Eagles center, Jason Kelce, didn’t hold back about what Kansas City should have done differently.

“That play before half, we got to be able to push that thing in. They got two. We need to get the Tush Push down, and we need Noah Gray or somebody over there to get the Tush Push down. That’s how they scored every time they got to the one-yard line.”

Jason further also vented out his frustration against the Chiefs’ head coach Andy Reid’s decision. “You can’t go into halftime only getting three points because you don’t f*cking got a Tush Push in the goddamn play… We got to have somebody doing the Tush Push.”

In the fourth quarter, Patrick Mahomes Jr. moved the ball down to Philadelphia’s six-yard line with Kansas City in position to tie the game. On second-and-goal, Mahomes Jr. threw a short pass to Kelce in the end zone. But the ball bounced off his hands and was intercepted by Eagles rookie safety Andrew Mukuba, who returned it 41 yards. Instead of points for Kansas City, the Eagles got prime field position to extend their lead.​

Ten plays and 59 yards later, Jalen Hurts scored a one-yard touchdown for Philadelphia on fourth-and-goal using a Tush Push with 7:48 left on the clock, making it 20-10 Eagles. Mahomes Jr. answered back with a 49-yard touchdown pass to Tyquan Thornton to bring the Chiefs within three points. But the Eagles ran out the clock with another tush push for a first down just after the two-minute warning to seal the win.

Later, when people started pointing fingers at the Tush Push as the reason the Chiefs lost, Travis pushed back. He said it wasn’t the reason they lost the game. There were other aspects throughout all four quarters that cost Kansas City the win. But the move itself has remained one of the most debated plays.

Jason Kelce defends the Tush Push against the NFL

The Green Bay Packers, leading the charge to ban it, submitted a proposal that would have prohibited offensive players from pushing or pulling a ball carrier in any direction or lifting him to his feet. The vote fell short by just two votes. 22 owners voted in favor of the ban when 24 votes were needed to make the rule change.​

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and limited partner Jason Kelce both spoke passionately at those owners’ meetings in defense of keeping the play legal. Their arguments won the day, and the tush push lived to fight another season. But the controversy didn’t die with the vote. Safety concerns and questions about whether the play gives teams an unfair advantage have continued to dominate conversations.

In the 2024 season, Philadelphia converted 39 of 48 tush push attempts into first downs or touchdowns, including playoff games. That 96.6 percent success rate compared to the league average of 84.2 percent showed just how dominant the Eagles had become with the play.

The debate still continues on whether the play is a legitimate strategy or an exploitation of the rulebook.