The Eagles’ quarterback sneak, in which Jalen Hurts plunges into the line and his teammates push him from behind, has become perhaps the most effective short-yardage play in football, and has been given the fairly ridiculous name, “tush push.” But the play frequently fails when attempted by teams other than the Eagles.
It failed on Monday night, when Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott plunged into the line on fourth-and-1 and was stopped by the Chargers’ defense short of the first down. After the game, Prescott was asked what went wrong.
“They didn’t push my tush enough,” Prescott answered.
The teammates pushing the tush is part of the play’s effectiveness, but Hurts also may be the strongest quarterback in the NFL, and not every quarterback can drive forward in a mass of linemen the way Hurts can. No matter how much his teammates are pushing his tush, Prescott may not be able to fight for yardage the way Hurts can, and it may not be the right play for the Cowboys to use in short yardage.
