NFL Tells Refs to Call Tush Push 'Tight' After Missed False Start on Eagles vs. Chiefs

The NFL wants to tighten officiating standards on the tush push after what the league identified as a missed false start call on the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2, per the Washington Post's Mark Maske.

According to Maske, the NFL highlighted the missed call in a training tape for officials that was sent to all 32 teams.

"We want to make sure that we officiate these plays tight and make sure that every aspect of the offensive team is legal and any movement… that's not correct, we want to shut it down as a false start," the NFL told teams in the training tape, per Maske.

The missed call identified by the NFL took place with 5:29 remaining in the Eagles' 20-17 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, per Maske. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was pushed forward on the play to move the chains on a third-and-1 from the Philadelphia 25-yard line.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid was visibly frustrated with officials after no penalty was called on the play.

Reid was then asked after the game if he would like to see the NFL change how rules are enforced on the tush push, per The Athletic's Jesse Newell.

"Yeah, I think you know the answer to it. If guys are moving early, then you've got to call that," Reid answered, per Newell. "So they'll go back and look at that and see what their evaluation is of it. It could be different than mine.

"Mine, I felt like the guys were moving. That's why I was griping about it on the sideline there with the officials. But sometimes people see things different. So we'll see where it goes. They'll have a chance to evaluate it, and I'll be curious to see what the response is."

Fox Sports broadcaster Tom Brady also pointed out a second missed false start call on a touchdown push from the Eagles with 7:48 remaining in the fourth quarter.

"The 'Brotherly Shove' is awfully impossible to stop, and when you get a false start penalty like that, it's even harder to stop. And they missed that one pretty bad," Brady said on the broadcast.

According to Maske, NFL vice president of officiating training and development Ramon George said in the training video that the offensive team should have "to be perfect in every aspect" on the tush push going forward.

"We want to be black and white and be as tight as we can be when we get into this situation where teams are in the bunch position and we have to officiate them being onsides, movement early," George told teams, according to Maske.

Maske reported that the NFL also sent out a separate memo to all 32 teams providing an example of a correct offsides call on a tush push attempt by the New Orleans Saints in a Week 1 game against the Arizona Cardinals.

The officiating changes come amid uncertainty as to the future of the tush push, despite the play surviving a vote on whether to ban the play ahead of the 2025 season.

The vote failed when 22 teams voted to ban the play and 10 voted to save it, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The NFL requires 24 teams to vote in favor in order to enact any rule changes. Should any two of the 10 teams who supported the tush push decide to reject it after the 2025 season, there is a chance the play could be banned by 2026.