Vikings' Kevin O'Connell Discusses Failed 'Tush Push' Attempts in Loss to Bengals

The "tush push" has become a revolutionary play for the Philadelphia Eagles this season, but that doesn't mean that every NFL team is capable of converting it with the same efficiency.

In a 27-24 Week 15 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals Saturday, the Minnesota Vikings failed to convert it on two consecutive plays. This came in overtime and the Bengals would respond by scoring a game-winning field goal on the ensuing drive.

The Vikings were mere inches away from earning the first down, and head coach Kevin O'Connell said that earning those inches and removing any doubt is absolutely crucial in that situation.

"(I) thought we had a good look at it on third down (on the play before)," Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said, per Alec Lewis of The Athletic. "But officials spotted it otherwise. They probably had a better look at it than I did. And we've got to be able to get a little bit more than that in that moment — an inches-type situation."

Despite the Vikings inability to convert the play, O'Connell still believes it was the correct call.

"You're really looking at 4 or 5 inches there," O'Connell said. "You don't really want to have to turn around and extend and hand the ball (off). … (We) thought we could execute with some interior push."

The loss dropped the Vikings record to 7-7 on the season but the team still remains very alive in the postseason hunt. This comes despite the fact that the team has had four different signal-callers start a game this season.

Improving the efficiency of the play could definitely be something that helps the team down the line, and with three crucial games sitting ahead on the schedule, it would not be shocking to see Minnesota take a few additional cracks at it.