49ers defensive tackle Javon Hargrave is familiar with the Eagles, San Francisco’s opponent in Week 13, having played in Philadelphia for three seasons before joining the Niners in 2023.
Heading into the matchup against his former team Sunday, Hargrave was asked by reporters if he'd be able to supply the 49ers with any tips on slowing down the infamous “Tush Push."
“Nah, I wish,” Hargrave said with a smile, via NBC Sports Bay Area.
“They know me like I know them. We went at it for three years. I know what to do against them, and they know what to do against me,” he added.
Unfortunately for San Francisco, in regard to the NFL’s most unstoppable running play, Hargrave said that his three years in Philadelphia did not better equip him to thwart the “Tush Push.”
Defenses have tried all year long to overcome Jalen Hurts’s assisted quarterback sneak. They’ve struggled to do so, leading many to consider the play to be “unstoppable.”
Head coach Kyle Shanahan echoed a similar sentiment to that of Hargrave, saying that although it’s “extremely hard” to stop, it’s still “possible.”
“I know it’s possible to stop, but it’s proven that it’s extremely hard,” Shanahan said. “So, you try to keep them out of those situations.”
If the 49ers can prevent the Eagles from getting into fourth-and-short situations on Sunday, they may avoid having to deal with the “Tush Push” altogether, though that will certainly be easier said than done.
