The Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles have always had a tense rivalry. The two cities are a mere few hours apart, and while the Commanders own the historical record (90-87-6), they have only won eight of the last 20 meetings between the two teams. Their most recent meeting was in the NFC Championship, a game the Commanders were never supposed to be in, and one that stirred controversy over the Eagles’ modified quarterback sneak.
The Tush Push, as it’s called now, is simply a quarterback sneak with one added difference: tight ends and/or running backs line up behind the quarterback and give him a push once the ball is snapped to have better success in making the line to gain. The Eagles came up with the play and have been touted as the best short-yardage team in the league because of their success.
However, they weren’t the best short-yardage team in the NFL in 2024. That honor belongs to the Commanders and Jayden Daniels, says Fox Sports.
Give him credit for high volume: Hurts led the NFL with 22 conversions on third/fourth-and-1, but he went 22-for-27, which is a solid 81% conversion rate. Among NFL quarterbacks last year, however, Buffalo’s Josh Allen went 17-for-18 (94%) and Denver rookie Bo Nix went 12-for-14 (86%). Washington QB Jayden Daniels, the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2024, went a perfect 12-for-12 in the same situation.
Allen edged Hurts in 2023 as well — 24-for-27, compared to 23-for-27. Hurts gave the tush push its credibility in 2022, when he went 25-for-29 on third/fourth-and-1, with 10 more such conversions than any other player as the Eagles made it to the Super Bowl.
If you’re looking for the NFL’s best short-yardage team last year, it wasn’t the Eagles (76.7% on third/fourth-and-1 runs) or even the Bills (77.3%). The Commanders went 38-for-43 for an 88% clip, giving them the confidence to go for it often on fourth down.
With the addition of Laremy Tunsil to the offensive line, some of the players shift around and offer Daniels even better protection in 2025 than he had in 2024. The goal is to get the first down before it becomes fourth down, but if Daniels can get the offense close, it’s clear they can reach the line to gain.
The Commanders’ answer to the Tush Push in the NFC Championship game is what caused so much controversy during the offseason. Linebacker Frankie Luvu was penalized multiple times in a row for offside for jumping the gun on the snap in an effort to stop the Eagles’ advance. The officials nearly granted the Eagles a touchdown without crossing the goal line.
The league opted not to ban the play at the spring league meeting last week, so the Commanders will need to find another way to stop the play in 2025.
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