As if the tush push isn’t tough enough to defend already, the Eagles knew they had an obscure rule in their pocket to help them if opposing teams go overboard in attempting to stop the play.
Philadelphia coach Nick Sirianni revealed he reminded the referees during Sunday’s NFC Championship game that the officials could award the Eagles a touchdown if the Commanders kept jumping offsides in an attempt to stop the short-yardage rushing play in the 55-23 beatdown.
Referee Shawn Hochuli warned Washington of the potential touchdown that could be awarded after a third straight encroachment penalty.
“I said to the referees on the side, ‘Hey, they keep doing this, it can be a touchdown, right?’” Sirianni said Tuesday. “And they said, ‘Yeah, that is correct.’”
It’s fair to say many did not know NFL referees had the power to award teams touchdowns until Hochuli announced that rarely used rule could be utilized in said situations.
The Eagles faced a second-and-goal from the one-yard line before Washington went offsides on three straight plays while trailing, 34-23.
Washington’s first two penalties involved a player jumping over the top of the pile in an attempt to time the snap, which led to Hochuli announcing that the Commanders had been warned that an unsportsmanlike penalty could be called if it happened again.
The third encroachment involved a player crossing the line early and that’s when Hochuli revealed the bizarre rule.
“Washington has been advised that at some point the referee can award a score if this type of behavior happens again,” Hochuli said. “For now, it’s a replay of second down.”
Former NFL rules czar and current Fox analyst Mike Pereira revealed that “deliberate” acts such as the repeated penalties can lead to a “palpably unfair act.”
Quarterback Jalen Hurts then scored on a tush push to take a 41-23 lead with 12:24 remaining.
Sirianni, who has led the Eagles to the Super Bowl for the second time, said he learned of the rule from a former Chargers assisant coach Dan Shamash.
He did not believe that could be a real thing at first.
“‘That’s not a rule, are you out of your mind?’ I remember saying that to him. That’s not a rule,” Sirianni said. “I remember him being very emphatic with me because he knows the rules really well and telling me it was. I texted him after the game, ‘Smash, you were right.”
Sirianni added that he did not find the sequence funny, adding that he worried about a potential injury. Defenders jumping on offensive linemen’s backs opens the door for potential scary situations.
Said Sirianni: “I was thinking about the safe and health of our players.”
