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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Jelani Scott

Chiefs’ Chris Jones Claims a ‘Rugby Friend’ Helped Him Plan for Eagles’ Tush Push

Chiefs star defensive tackle Chris Jones appears to have done some extra studying ahead of he and the defense’s next go-around at stifling the NFL’s most unstoppable play: the Eagles’ Brotherly Shove.

Appearing on Thursday’s The Rich Eisen Show, Jones divulged one of the ways he’s been preparing for Philly’s special goal-line scheme when the Chiefs take the field in Week 11 for the highly-anticipated Super Bowl LVII rematch on Monday Night Football

The strategy, according to Jones? Enlisting the guidance of a “rugby friend” for tips on counteracting a play that borrows much of its design from the rugged English sport.

“We got a plan for it,” Jones told Eisen. “We’re going to watch a few rugby games. I got a rugby friend, I can’t disclose his name, but I got a rugby friend who’s been telling me a few little pointers on what I could do to stop this.”

After Eisen asked if he was serious, Jones doubled down on his claim, though he stopped short of offering any sort of breakdown when the host jokingly inquired if any of their tactics will resemble what can happen in a traditional rugby scrum.

“I can’t say, I can’t say,” Jones said with a laugh.

Although his confidence may sound convincing, it’ll be fascinating to see if Jones’s “fight fire with fire” approach to the task at hand pays off in primetime.

If it does, however, Jones and the Chiefs would join the Commanders as the only teams to halt the “tush push” this season, adding another thing to hold over Jalen Hurts and Co. after besting them for the Lombardi Trophy back in February.

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