Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell has come out in defense of the tush push ahead of Sunday night's matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The tush push, a quarterback sneak play that the Eagles have popularized and are known to use in short-yardage situations, has become a controversial one, particularly amid inconsistencies in the way it is officiated.
There have been several instances of controversial officiating calls on the tush push this season. In Week 3, officials missed a false start on the play, only for the Eagles to score on the next play.
In Week 8, the New York Giants were outraged after Hurts fumbled on the play, and the ball was recovered by defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux. The apparent turnover didn't count, however, as officials ruled that Hurts' forward progress was stopped before the fumble.
Most recently, in the Eagles' Week 10 win over the Packers, the guards moved well before the ball was snapped for a false start, which was not called by officials.
The play has also been nearly unstoppable. According to ESPN, the Eagles have converted the tush push 14 out of 18 times this season, which is a 77.8% conversion rate through eight games over the past few seasons. Since 2022, the Eagles have converted the play 92.6% in 2022, 83.3% in 2023, and 82.1% last season. At the beginning of this season, the Eagles were converting at a rate of 96.6% on 116 attempts.
Before the season, the Lions were one of 10 teams, including the Eagles, that voted against banning the tush push. Despite the imperfections of the play and its near-perfect success rate, Campbell does not want to take it out of the game.
"I’m a purist," Campbell said. "You take something out of the game, then we’re taking the next thing out of the game and pretty soon we don’t have pads anymore. Then pretty soon you’re only playing 30 minutes.”
Campbell thinks the best way to make the tush push a non-factor is to stop it.
"The team's got a niche, they found something, they are good at it, and it's for everyone else to stop," Campbell said. "It's unique and physical. More than anything, I just don't want to take anything out of the game. I just want to leave the game alone."
Campbell is a former tight end known for his blocking and has gained a reputation for aggressive playcalling on late downs. Campbell took over play-calling duties from offensive coordinator John Morton in a 44-22 road victory over Washington this past week after the Lions' offense struggled the previous week against the Vikings.
The Lions and Eagles matchup this week with playoff ramifications on the line. The Eagles lead the NFC standings at 7-2 and the Lions are close behind at 6-3. Whoever wins the game will hold a tiebreaker that could impact playoff seeding and home-field advantage.