In a Thursday night clash that had NFL fans glued to their screens, the Philadelphia Eagles leaned hard into their infamous “tush push” to muscle their way into the end zone against the New York Giants. The play, a glorified quarterback sneak that’s become Philly’s bread-and-butter, was deployed not once, not twice, but four consecutive times in a second-quarter drive, leaving Giants fans groaning and one former Dallas star downright livid.
The sequence began on a 3rd-and-short, with the Eagles’ offensive line and quarterback Jalen Hurts barreling forward in their signature formation. They followed it up on 4th-and-short, inching closer to the goal line. Now just a yard away, Philly didn’t flinch, hammering the same play twice more to punch in a touchdown. It was a methodical, if not exactly thrilling, display of dominance—two minutes of clock-chewing, bully-ball football that left the Giants’ defense battered and the scoreboard ticking.
Embed X: https://twitter.com/MicahhParsons11/status/1976454718831653107
But not everyone was impressed. Giants fans, already fuming over what they saw as a missed false start penalty on one of the plays, were joined in their frustration by none other than Micah Parsons, the former Cowboys linebacker who’s never shy about sharing his thoughts. Taking to X, Parsons unleashed a scathing four-word verdict on Philly’s go-to tactic: “This is not football!” He punctuated his post with two trash can emojis, leaving no doubt about his disdain for the Eagles’ relentless strategy.
Embed X: https://twitter.com/Eagles/status/1976455594455519580
The announcers couldn’t help but marvel at the Eagles’ brute-force approach, dubbing it “bully ball” from the NFC East juggernaut. And while the tush push’s effectiveness is undeniable—four straight plays, four straight successes—it’s a play that sparks as much controversy as it does results. Earlier this year, the Green Bay Packers pushed for a ban on the play at the NFL owners’ meeting in May, only to fall short by two votes. That means the tush push, love it or hate it, will remain a staple of the Eagles’ playbook for the 2025 season.
For now, Philly fans can revel in their team’s unapologetic dominance, while detractors like Parsons are left to vent their frustrations online. One thing’s for sure: as long as the tush push keeps delivering touchdowns, the Eagles won’t care who’s calling it “not football.”