Now in their second Super Bowl in three seasons, Nick Sirianni’s Philadelphia Eagles have somewhat defined themselves with their unstoppable “Tush Push” play. After all, there’s not much defenses can do when a great running quarterback like Jalen Hurts gets behind the Eagles’ dominant offensive line in short-yardage situations.
As it turns out, there’s a huge toll to defending the Eagles’ unstoppable play we don’t always immediately see, either.
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In the early portions of Sunday’s Super Bowl, Chiefs perennial All-Pro pass-rusher Chris Jones showed us just how taxing it is to even oppose the Eagles on their signature play. After Philadelphia unsurprisingly pushed Hurts across the goal line to take a 7-0 lead, Jones was seen wincing in pain over a neck massage.
While Jones would stay in the game, it seemed pretty clear he was playing through some measure of an injury:
Chris Jones aggravated his neck on the tush push play pic.twitter.com/r8zUR0Xp00
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) February 10, 2025
Man, I do not envy any defensive lineman caught in the scrum of the Eagles’ Tush Push. Not only do they have little chance of stopping it, but they also seem more likely to get hurt, too.
