The Most Unstoppable Play In the NFL: The QB Sneak

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The Tush & Push, The QB Sneak, The Brotherly Shove, you can call it what you want, but one word to describe the Eagle’s play is unstoppable. So, how have the Eagles perfected this craft to such a degree that some question banning the move?

The History Of The QB Sneak

The origins of the QB sneak date back to the early 1900s, when Yale Quarterback Graham Winkelbaum first tried it. Since then, it has been an NFL favorite to gain close yardage or score a touchdown near the endzone. From 2017 to 2022, teams have utilized the QB sneak more. Throughout the five years, the average amount of times a team does a QB sneak has increased from 0.39 per game to 1.08 per game.

Many NFL greats have mastered the QB sneak. From the likes of Tom Brady, who currently holds the record for most sneaks in history (157), to Drew Brees.

Eagles Success

After coming off a successful Sunday night win over the Miami Dolphins, the Eagles are now 6-1. The Eagles used the QB sneak three times against the Dolphins, and all attempts successfully gained the first down. In the 2022 season, the Eagles used the move 32 times, in which 29 attempts resulted in a successful move of the chains. That is a 90.63% success rate when using the QB sneak. The rest of the league averages an 82.8% success rate when going with a sneak on 4th and 1.

What Makes It So Effective For The Eagles?

Unlike Brady, Jalen Hurts is not 6’4, so what makes the move so impossible to stop? To be quite honest with you, it hardly has anything to do with Hurts. The players around Hurts are the ones who orchestrate the magic.

If you replay one of the Eagles QB sneaks, you can see that numerous players are already lined up behind Hurts to get ready to push him before the ball is even snapped. Another critical factor in the play is the Eagles All-Pro Center Jason Kelce, who creates the hole in the defense for Hurts to sneak through.

Debate Whether to Ban It

Several debates have been on whether the league should ban the Eagle’s sneak. The move has sparked so much controversy that even Hurts has admitted to receiving threats from fans. Once upon a time in the NFL, a move like the Eagles sneak would not fly.

Before 2005, the NFL had a rule that would’ve prohibited the Eagles from such a move. “Helping the runner” was a rule that stated no teammate should be allowed to push or drag the ball carrier from gaining yardage. However, this rule was discontinued in 2005. The NCAA quickly followed the NFL’s footsteps, lifting the ban in 2013.

After beating the Dolphins on Sunday night, Eagles head coach Nick Sirrania was asked about the tush push being possibly banned. Sirrania stated, “If everybody could do it, everybody would.”

So, should the Tush Push/Brotherly Shove be banned? Depends on who you ask. However, one thing is sure: the Eagles offense will remain on the field on any 4th and short circumstances.