During the NFC Championship game, the Washington Commanders nearly fell victim to a decades-old rule that allowed the referee to award points to an opposing team due to intentional infractions. The announcement by Shawn Hochuli had many scratching their heads, thinking there was no way that was legal. It’s a rule that’s been in place since 1942 and has never once been used.
The play in question was a goal-line stand by the Commanders. They were lined up to defend against the Philadelphia Eagles’ controversial ‘tush-push’ play, where Jalen Hurts is quite literally pushed from behind to gain a first down on a short-yard play. Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu, in an attempt to time the snap, jumped offsides multiple times, leading to the aforementioned warning.
The Eagles started using it in 2022, which immediately sparked outrage at a defense’s inability to stop it.
Former NFL head of officiating Mike Pereira believes the NFL will look into the play more closely this offseason.
“I think it will be a conversation. . . . I think with the ugliness of that, they’ll take a further look at it,” Pereira said.
There has been talk of the NFL banning the tush push, but nothing has ever come of it. Until now. It took the Commanders committing multiple penalties trying to defend this play to get the attention of the NFL
“To think that any play in a game led to what a referee could do, which is actually award a score without a play,” Pereira said. “I mean when you get to that — called a ‘palpably unfair act,’ which I’d been waiting for 15 years to say on air. I was so excited. I almost spit it out right away. But I think with the ugliness of that, they’ll take a further look at it. But again, it’s going to evolve around injury data. If there’s been injuries from it, there is a chance that it could get [eliminated].
“I think it’ll continue being looked at, [and] maybe at somewhere down the road making a change.”
Even without injuries, that particular play is nearly impossible to defend. Whether these conversations happen or not, as well as any changes that come with those conversations, remains to be seen.