NFL Won't Make QB Sneak Rule Change After Jalen Hurts, Eagles Popularized New Method

The "tush push" sneak method that helped propel Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles to Super Bowl LVII will remain legal in 2023.

Despite the NFL Competition Committee discussing the push/sneak "at length" in February, according to NFL.com's Judy Battista, and multiple teams listing the play as a top issue in a recent committee survey, per The Athletic's Kalyn Kahler, the NFL will not discuss the legality of the play during the upcoming league meetings in Arizona from March 26-29.

The news that pushing the quarterback during a sneak is not mentioned among this year's rule proposals will come as a relief to the Eagles, who shoved Hurts into a sneak 41 times in 2022—and converted 37 of those chances into first downs or touchdowns.

Philadelphia's success marked the first time in 15 years a team has topped 20 first downs on quarterback sneaks, according to CBS Sports.

Pushing the ball carrier forward has been legal in the NFL since 2005, and taking advantage of it made Philadelphia's sneak nearly unstoppable this past season. It's part of the reason Hurts was able to tie the Super Bowl rushing touchdown record with three scores against the Chiefs in the Eagles' 38-35 loss.

Dean Blandino, former NFL vice president of officiating, told The 33rd Team after the Super Bowl in February that the play will not stay isolated to Philadelphia if the league allows the method to continue.

"I was talking to [Denver Broncos coach] Sean Payton ... and he said we're going to do this every time next season if they don't take it out," Blandino said.

The quarterback sneak has already been growing in popularity. Between 2016 and 2022, total league sneaks increased from 73 per season to 291, according to the New York Times via Sports Info Solutions.

With the success of the Eagles' sneak this past season, that number will continue to grow. It seems likely many NFL teams will be forced to determine how best to combat the push/sneak, or even how to do it themselves.

"Rather than complain about it, maybe teams should practice perfecting the [QB sneak] like [the Eagles]," one NFL executive told the Philadelphia Inquirer.