Sean Payton backs Tush Push ahead of clash against Eagles

The Tush Push has taken the league by storm over the last few seasons. The Philadelphia Eagles, behind a dominant offensive line and one of the strongest quarterbacks in the NFL in Jalen Hurts, have found a way to convert almost every single short-yardage situation they face by piling up 11 bodies at the line of scrimmage and pushing forward to get a first down or a touchdown.

Since the start of the 2022 season, Philadelphia has converted over 95% of their fourth-and-one scenarios thanks to this unstoppable play. When the 2024-25 season was said and done and the Eagles were Super Bowl Champions, nearly two-thirds of the league voted to ban the play that helped yield them a championship. Even though the Denver Broncos were one of the 22 teams that voted to ban the reimagined quarterback sneak, their head coach, Sean Payton, was in favor of it.

PAYTON SUPPORTED THE PLAY

“I was one, that stood up in favor of [it] … When all of a sudden, health and safety was pulled into that which, which might be the safest play in football, my bulls*** nose kind of went up,” Payton said in a conference call on Monday.

Payton and his Broncos are headed to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles this week in a game that will show where the Broncos truly stand on the NFL totem pole. They had a strong performance in a 28-3 win over Cincinnati, but that team is clearly on its way to competing for the No. 1 draft pick next April without Joe Burrow under center. A road battle against the defending champs is exactly what Payton and his squad need to assess what they need to do to compete in January.

There have been more cries through the first quarter of the season that the play is unfair, as the Eagles have gotten away with some false starts on Tush Pushes that were converted for first downs, but at the end of the day, it’s just a quarterback sneak. Also, it’s not like the Eagles are the only ones who run the play. They’re just the most effective at running it and have dominated the league with it for years, and Payton spoke on the tactical advantages that the play gives the Eagles.

Broncos coach Sean Payton, on the Eagles' "Tush Push":

"I was one, that stood up in favor of [it] … When all of a sudden, health and safety was pulled into that which, which might be the safest play in football, my bulls*** nose kind of went up." pic.twitter.com/4j3RZN3kk4

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) September 30, 2025

‘IT’S A WELL-RUN QUARTERBACK SNEAK’

“Credit Philadelphia, they scored a touchdown last week. Take a peek at the this past week’s touchdown off the tush push look, and it was a sweep to the left. So, I’m one that looks at it, as long as the line of scrimmage is clean, that it’s a well-run quarterback sneak. When you really evaluate it, it’s more the technique of the sneak than the push,” Payton said.

He also brought up how Bart Starr and the Packers ran a variation of the play way back in the Ice Bowl against the Cowboys in the 1967 NFL Championship game. This isn’t a new concept, the Eagles are just making it more well-known than ever because they’re so good at running it.

Will the Tush Push hurt the Broncos at some point on Sunday? There’s a 99% chance that the answer is yes. Whether it’s on a third and one four minutes into the game, or a fourth and goal with two minutes left, the Eagles will use the play against the Broncos at some point, and they will likely convert on it.

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