Watch the worst Tush Push call of the Eagles season from every disgusting angle

For much of the early part of the 2025 NFL season, it felt like each week brought a fresh new reason to debate the merits of the Tush Push. Here was the entire Philadelphia Eagles offensive line leaning into the neutral zone. And here were three different players starting to move half a second before the snap. And on and on and on it went, until it had driven everyone on both sides insane.

At this point, you'd be forgiven for thinking that we'd simply run out of new ways to talk about the most polarizing play in football. But never underestimate the ingenuity of NFL officiating, because on Sunday afternoon against the New York Giants, the league found a whole new way to make the Tush Push completely invincible.

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you. Jalen Hurts reached the ball out in front of his body on 4th and 1, looking to make sure he'd secured the line to gain. New York Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux saw it and pounced, almost immediately ripping the ball out of Hurts' hands and falling on what seemed for all the world like a fumble.

Except, that is, to the officiating crew. Despite the fact that Hurts was actively reaching the ball out, and despite the fact that the whistle hadn't yet been blown when the ball came free, the refs ruled that forward progress had been stopped. Not only did the Eagles get rewarded with a first down, but it's not a ruling that's subject to replay review, meaning all Giants coach Brian Daboll could do was fume on the sideline. (Of course, the Eagles went on to score a touchdown on the drive.)

NFL's latest Tush Push blunder is the most egregious one yet

The FOX broadcast booth, including Dean Blandino, was in disbelief. Every successive replay just made it more and more clear that Hurts was still trying to advance the ball, and that Thibodeaux forced what would have been in any other play ruled a fumble. The close-up angle shows that he's still getting pushed forward when the ball comes out!

The overhead view is somehow even clearer. Hurts is still moving forward right up until the moment Thibodeaux takes the ball from his hands; there isn't even a brief moment when he's being stopped still.

Seriously, look at this: Hurts reaches the ball out — an action that in any other context, whether at the goal line or even reaching for a first down, is still considered forward progress — and his hands are met by Thibodeaux, who promptly takes the ball from him.

The false starts were bad enough. But fine: That's a bang-bang play, one in which both lines are leaning forward and trying to gain as much of an advantage as possible in what is essentially a rugby scrum. In a certain sense, you can't really blame NFL refs for not really knowing how to adjuicate it, considering that multiple players on both teams seem to be committing a violation on each push.

This, though, feels like something else entirely. This is just officiating 101, right out in the open for multiple referees to see. If the Tush Push has so thoroughly melted everyone's brains that the foundational rules of the sport suddenly fly out the window in such a blatant manner, I don't know whatt else there is to do but to outlaw the play entirely.