Eagles Tush Push hits new low, foolish trade deadline buyers and NFL Power Rankings for Week 9

Tush Push, NFL Power Rankings for Week 9 and Trade Deadline fools

1. The final evidence that the Tush Push needs to go
2. Week 9 NFL Power Rankings: Packers loom large, Falcons bottom out
3. Biggest winners and losers from NFL Power Rankings
4. Potential NFL Trade Deadline buyers that are making a foolish mistake

Especially throughout the offseason, the discourse around the Philadelphia Eagles' Tush Push was nothing short of exhausting. Oh, it barely missed being banned when put up to a vote! Oh, it's so unfair! This, that, and the other, whatever. I'm not denying the fact that it's a frustrating play to watch your team haplessly try to defend, but there's not necessarily been anything nefarious or illegal. At the same time, if it got banned, I wouldn't have cared. But what we watched with the Tush Push in NFL Week 8 against the New York Giants has now officially radicalized me.

We've already been seeing the ire toward the play grow, with the uncalled false starts being chronicled and highlighted more relentlessly than ever. That, in itself, was somewhat bothersome. Again, my biggest source of prior indifference was toward the fact that the Eagles ostensibly weren't doing anything wrong. However, if the refs are officiating the Tush Push differently than any other play, then that's just unacceptable from the NFL.

A false start looks like nothing compared to what the officials did to the Giants in the first half of Sunday's game, though.

The final evidence that the Tush Push needs to go

Facing a fourth-and-1 in the red zone, the Eagles naturally lined up for the Tush Push. As Jalen Hurts crossed the line-to-gain, though, he reached out the ball while he was still churning his legs in the pile. As he did so, Giants edge Kayvon Thibodeaux ripped the ball from his hands and took it to the ground with him. And if you listen, there isn't a whistle for anything until seconds after Thibodeaux has the ball on the ground. In any other situation, this is a fumble and the Giants take possession.

Instead, the refs retroactively ruled forward progress — which I'd argue isn't even evident while watching the video as Hurts reaches the ball forward and is still moving his legs — and gave the Eagles the first down.

What.

No, seriously, what?

There is no world in which forward progress should be ruled after the fact. If forward progress had stopped, then why did the refs wait until the ball was out to blow the whistle? It's asinine, and ultimately leads to a completely justified feeling that there's quite literally nothing that can be done against the Tush Push.

You ask for refs to call the false start, and they still aren't doing that consistently. Now, when you try to make a great opportunistic play, the refs are essentially saying the play stopped because Hurts lost the ball. This isn't even hating on the Eagles — this is all about simply looking at the rules of football and seeing that the Tush Push is being officiated differently than any other play in the game.

Obviously, we still have more than half of the season in which we're still going to have to live with the Tush Push because it wasn't banned this offseason. That's going to be arduous if nonsense like this is going to keep happening. However, the push to ban the Tush Push now has another believer. And what's wild is that the Eagles aren't the problem with it, but the NFL and the refs absolutely are.

Now that I've got my blood boiling, let's get into this week's NFL Power Rankings before diving into a few misguided teams as the trade deadline approaches.

Week 9 NFL Power Rankings: Packers loom large, Falcons bottom out

Biggest winners and losers from NFL Power Rankings

Biggest Winner in Week 8: Green Bay Packers

While I have more thoughts on the Steelers as well, you have to tip your cap to the Green Bay Packers. Particularly in the wake of the Micah Parsons trade, the team was immediately elevated to living up to Super Bowl expectations. And I'll be damned, they look to be living up to that.

The defense, surprising as it may sound, is the calling card of this team. When the Steelers faced Myles Garrett just a few weeks ago (a Myles Garrett who had five sacks individually against the Patriots in Week 8), they were largely able to keep him at bay with extra blockers. That wasn't true for Parsons, though, as he was able to harass Aaron Rodgers all night. And while Pittsburgh still was able to score, the Packers nailed them to the turf when the game was hanging in the balance. That's the mark of not just a talented unit, but one under terrific direction from Jeff Hafley.

However, what stood out specifically on Sunday night was how many ways Jordan Love can beat you. That's not to say he's doing a ton of things, but rather the plethora of weapons at his disposal. Tucker Kraft is reaching new heights, Matthew Golden continues to show up, Christian Watson is back, Romeo Doubs is Mr. Reliable, and the list goes on. And that's before you get to Josh Jacobs.

I still need to see a bit more before I vault them past the likes of the Lions, Colts and even the Chiefs atop the power rankings, but they're already making me consider it.

Biggest Loser in Week 8: Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons could come out in Week 9, upset the Patriots and put up a 50-burger, and I would still be direly worried about this team. Those are the type of scars that are left when you watch this team go out and prove completely inept when trying to move the ball against a previously lifeless Miami Dolphins defense.

There are certainly flaws when it comes to the Falcons defense, too, don't get me wrong. At the same time, the Dolphins offense is still a capable unit based on previous years, even if they haven't put that on display with the same level of consistency that we've grown accustomed to so far this season. However, I don't care that Kirk Cousins was starting — you essentially got blanked from finding the end zone in meaningful portions of the game by one of the NFL's worst defenses.

How offensive coordinator Zac Robinson is still employed come Monday is beyond me, but there's no world in which I'm trusting the Falcons from here on out this season. There are so many pieces that I like with this roster and team, and the future could be bright. We just need someone ages 4 and up putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

Team I still don't know what to do with: San Francisco 49ers

Just when you think that the Kyle Shanahan magic isn't going to be stopped, the San Francisco 49ers laid an egg that we've been waiting for more than a month to see. Now, to be fair, the Houston Texans and their defense deserve some credit for that. At the same time, the simple truth is that it finally felt like the growing list of injuries, especially on the offensive line, caught up to the Niners.

Mac Jones was 19-of-32 for 193 yards with two scores and a pick. Christian McCaffrey had just 25 yards rushing on five carries. It was ugly, and just as ugly on defense by simply allowing 26 points and the Texans offense to do what they pleased on Sunday. Again, this was only a shock because, while we expected this to happen weeks ago, San Francisco had continued to persevere. And right when you expected them not to let you down, they did.

But here's the thing that makes the 49ers more flummoxing: They could easily put this behind them and bounce back next week. Going on the road against the Giants in Week 9, would it shock you at all to see San Francisco claw against an inexperienced team and get another win? It wouldn't surprise me either, which is really what we're talking about here when it comes to a team that's just so hard to get a read on right now.

Potential NFL Trade Deadline buyers that are making a foolish mistake

Pittsburgh Steelers

As the Pittsburgh Steelers still sit atop the AFC North standings, there's been a lot of oxygen already exhausted in the way of what the organization could do in order to try and elevate the roster for this run with late-career Aaron Rodgers. And a lot of the conversation has centered on adding another receiver. For an offense that has been good overall but lacking in that specific area, that all seems reasonable — but it's ultimately not given that the offense actually isn't the issue in the slightest.

The Steelers defense has been abysmal in its drop-off this season, due in no small part to a large gamble on veteran over-30 players they added this offseason, in addition to some apparent decline from the likes of TJ Watt and other incumbent stars. Given the DNA of Pittsburgh, that represents a far bigger issue than just needing to trade for a wide receiver.

Again, this team is in the division lead, for now at least. But the Steelers simply don't pass the smell test right now. They aren't a move or two away from winning a Super Bowl, and with a veteran-laden roster and their current issues, foregoing draft capital to facilitate immediate upgrades simply wouldn't make sense for a team in their position.

Dallas Cowboys

You know, it's almost like the Dallas Cowboys could use a game-changing defensive presence. Anyone know where they could potentially find one? In Green Bay, perhaps?

While no one was grading the Micah Parsons trade favorably for the Cowboys at the time, it looks even more egregious eight weeks into the season. Dak Prescott is playing at an MVP level and the offense is absolutely humming. But man, this defense is truly abysmal. They might as well put a star on the front of a saloon door with the way this unit is playing. However, Dallas still sits at 3-4-1 on the season and Jerry Jones is still posturing as if the Cowboys could make a big trade.

Unlike the Steelers, I don't think every trade would be wrong for Dallas. If there's a realistic chance of dealing for someone like a Maxx Crosby and, to a lesser degree, Trey Hendrickson with the Raiders star locked up long term and the possibility for a less-than-Parsons extension for the Bengals standout, then that could make sense as the Cowboys try and rebuild the defense for the future.

What Dallas can't afford, on the other hand, is to make a win-now move. For as good as Prescott and the offense have performed this season, the defense isn't at all close to being able to complete. It's an indictment on Jones and his handling of Parsons that the defense isn't a trade or two away from actually contending, but he needs to lie in that bed and not compound the problem with a move that only helps in the immediate and not the long term.

Chicago Bears

There have been obvious and undeniable positive signs from the Caleb Williams-Ben Johnson marriage with the new-look Chicago Bears this season. But instances like the Week 8 loss to the Ravens in which the Bears didn't play particularly poorly but still simply weren't good enough ultimately bring about a tough reality for Chicago: They are probably still a year away from even getting close to touching their ceiling under this new coaching regime.

While there are terrific individual players on the Bears defense, the depth and overall cohesion are still lacking, especially against top-tier competition. That isn't something that is going to immediately be changed at one trade deadline, which is to say this defense needs serious restructuring, not on-the-fly additions to plug holes. There are too many holes for that.

That reconstruction also ultimately applies to the defense. Again, the individual pieces are hard to call into question completely, but the way things fit don't yet seem ideal to Johnson and his offensive stylings. Combine that with Williams still finding more consistent footing while the Bears compete in an ultra-competitive NFC North, it's hard to justify any aggressive buying at the trade deadline.

None of that means Chicago (or any of these teams) will heed my advice. But the situation at hand does make it seem foolish if they were to be buyers at the trade deadline in the traditional sense.