The Green Bay Packers came close to being a contender last season. They posted an 11-6 record and finished in third place in an incredibly tough NFC North division. But it’s how the season ended that is dominating their thoughts heading into next year.
The Packers made an attempt to nerf a Super Bowl contender during the offseason, but that attempt apparently had the hands of Brandon Bostick as it was denied on Wednesday morning.
NFL Rejects Packers’ Proposal to Ban Eagles Tush Push Play
According to multiple reports, including ESPN’s Adam Schefter, a proposal to ban the “Tush Push” play popularized by the Philadelphia Eagles did not receive enough votes at the league’s owners’ meetings in Minnesota on Wednesday.
The play, which is a modified version of a quarterback sneak where the ballcarrier is pushed forward by his teammates, would be subject to a ten-yard penalty under the proposal and had the backing of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. But despite delaying the vote from March to May to receive more votes, and even lasted until the "privileged session” where only owners and family members were allowed in the room for the vote, the play remains legal.
Philadelphia has converted 90% of short-yardage situations since Nick Sirianni installed the play in 2022, and the Eagles have posted a 39-12 record over the past three seasons. Quarterback Jalen Hurts has also become unstoppable in these situations, thanks to the play, scoring 42 rushing touchdowns since the start of the 2022 season.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is the next closest with 34 touchdowns, but no other quarterback has more than Justin Fields’s 17 scores, and only nine quarterbacks have more than 10 rushing touchdowns during that timeframe.
Packers president Mark Murphy said at the league’s meetings in May that player safety was the main reason for the proposal. But it also came weeks after Green Bay lost a 22-10 Wild Card game to the Eagles. That game also included a key 4th and 1 at midfield early in the fourth quarter that was converted with a tush push. Philadelphia was up 16-10 at the time, and the drive ended with a 30-yard field goal by Jake Elliott that made it a 19-10 game with 7:36 to play.
Ironically, the vote didn’t pass with a vote of 22-10, and the Tush Push lives on. After fumbling an opportunity to sabotage a fellow contender, the Packers will have to find a way to stop it.