Referees threaten Commanders with a rule that would give the Eagles a free touchdown, a breakdown
What Happened
In a crucial NFC East matchup, the Washington Commanders are facing off against the Philadelphia Eagles at FedExField. The game is tightly contested, with the score currently 40-23 in favor of the Eagles in the fourth quarter. On a key second-and-goal play, the Commanders attempt to utilize a controversial tactic known as the "tush push." Quarterback Taylor Heinicke (Washington Commanders) lines up under center, with running back Antonio Gibson (Washington Commanders) positioned behind him. As the play begins, the Commanders' offensive line collapses towards the middle, creating a mass of bodies. Heinicke then tries to push forward, with Gibson providing a push from behind, in an effort to score a touchdown. However, the play is not executed perfectly, and Heinicke struggles to gain ground. Referee Craig Wrolstad (NFL Referee) steps in and warns the Commanders, stating that if they continue to intentionally engage in this type of behavior, it will be considered a "palpably unfair act" and the officials may award the Eagles a touchdown as a result. Undeterred, the Commanders attempt the tush push once again on the next play. This time, the Eagles' defensive line, led by Fletcher Cox (Philadelphia Eagles) and Brandon Graham (Philadelphia Eagles), are able to disrupt the play, and Heinicke is unable to score. Wrolstad and the officiating crew then confer, and Wrolstad reiterates the warning to the Commanders, stating that the team has been advised that the officials can award the opposing team a score if this type of behavior continues. "Washington has been advised that at some point the referee can award a score if this type of behavior happens again," Wrolstad tells the Commanders' sideline. The broadcast commentary, provided by the network's rules expert, explains that the "palpably unfair act" rule allows officials to take whatever action they deem necessary to address deliberate attempts to prevent a score after a warning has been issued. Despite the officials' threats, the Commanders continue to try the tush push, leading to several more penalties and further warnings from the referees. Eventually, the Eagles are able to stop the Commanders' offense, and they go on to win the game by a final score of 40-23.
Full Transcript
Click timestamps to jump to that momentthe tush push that is the name of NFL's
most controversial play right now let's
break it down this one is brought to you
by DraftKings Barkley another touchdown
no gets tripped up stop at the one yd
line that's too bad because seems like
every time he touches the ball it's
touchdown but this time not today okay
well almost two yards tush push they're
fine with it that's all they do they
just all collaps towards the middle and
then everyone pushes the QB forward they
actually don't get it there but there
was off sides or encroachment defense
lined up in the neutral zone number 93
the penalties half the distance to the
goal replay first down so they lined up
in the neutral 93 is like what the
I didn't know I was lined up in the
neutral zone what what don't what and
they hey buddy it's okay okay it was
just a little bit you just got like hey
just back up just back up just it was
just a little bit okay so now first and
goal half half the distance due to that
and and they say let's run the tush push
again kind of fumble the snap can't get
it off actually lose yards the tush push
gets in its own way if you look here
little bit of a low snap hits his
fingertips goes down grips it recovers
they ain't pushing him no one pushes him
because he never really had the ball so
he says Hey guys they didn't stop it
that was our fault let's run a damn
thing again tush push second and goal
here we go one two ah man they just jump
almost everyone jumps and they're just
off sides and that's going to be half
the distance to the goal which is like
two feet and he's like hey they're
talking whatever I don't know louu is
that how you say that name that's a fun
name he just jumps look at oh gotcha oh
gotcha you like that look how happy
he is to be jumped on just flying over
the line
everyone boom illegal not allowed but
not a bad strategy cuz what do half the
distance to the goal even mean when
you're on the one yard line nothing
especially when you're going up against
the tush push he knows he's
like whatever move it half the distance
again we don't give a the only way
we stop this is by timing it
perfectly did not time it perfectly
Brown's like oh watch out watch out we
got a badass you look at him number 11
on the Eagles he's like oh everyone
watch out watch yeah we got a badass
coming through and Johnson's like dude
get out of here get out of here you know
just hey get out of here we got tou push
going on another penalty Coachman
Defense number four Washington has been
warned that if that foul is
intentionally done again there will be
an unsportsman like conduct foul for now
it's half the distance to the goal and
it's still second down so everyone was
like wait what did he say they've been
warned what that if they intentionally
do it again it's a
misconduct surely they won't
intentionally do it again cuz we'd love
that as a fan base to know what you mean
do they do it again they're all just
breathing on each other look at that
look at that look at all those heads in
there jump no it's okay they almost jump
and then he almost jumps and then he's
like oh I'm ready to go oh he does jump
and they're like calm down big fella
calm down stay back stay back and then
they go and then damn it 92 look at 92
he's like there you go damn it damn it
but that that wasn't as egregious as the
ones from the past so the officials are
going to get together and like hey we
warned them are we going to stick to it
they're like well that wasn't kind of
what we were talking about and they're
like hey illegal your team's doing
illegal stuff uh so here's the tush push
look at this look at this you got he
jumps and then he gets back and then
what happens oh yeah and then he his
right arm number 93's right arm just
goes H and that makes number 95 go we're
on it I trust you and then they all
knock each other over and then the
Eagles Point at him like we got him we
got him Washington has been advised that
at some point the referee can award a
score if this type of behavior happens
again for now it's a replay of second
down they're actually telling him he
says it's a palpably unfair act what
your team is doing and he's just like
okay okay okay okay but the refs were
basically like hey guys you don't know
this but there's a rule that if you keep
doing this we're just going to
give the other team a touchdown that's a
real Rule and then the the broadcast
brings in their expert and they're like
what are they saying deliberate acts
like that to prevent a score after a
warning can lead to what is called a
palpably unfair act that's how it's
defined in the book and you can do as a
referee whatever you'd actually like to
do a palpably unfair act it makes sense
makes sense who cares about half the
distance to the goal just try to get
your timing right until you stop the
play and then they're like no you can't
keep doing that so here's the ball
Movement we haven't run a play yet oh no
they did run one Play here's the ball
movement okay and went from here and
then they got half the distance to the
goal which moved it to there which
that's a decent half distance again it's
just the eyeball not like they bring out
a tape measure and then from here they
got half the distance to the goal again
on a penalty which moved it up there I
think that's more than half the distance
I think that was a very generous half
the distance
um those two balls It's seems like you
got a lot closer to the goal line and
then from there they're a couple inches
away half the distance again what are
you going to do that's that's where it
goes so that's how the ball moved
without running a single play and then
on second and goal they're like guess
what play We're going to run fellas is
the tou push you can't do about it
and they can't and Eagles scored
touchdown and they're excited
M yep pumped up about it 40 to 23 now in
the fourth and uh he says awesome
awesome I don't I don't know if he means
it but he said it and yeah if you're
like hey I don't watch football what is
the tush push well everyone just
collapses to the center and then the
quarterback just goes in the middle and
rides their bodies and then the running
backs push him from behind they push his
tush and he falls on top of those
linemen and there's nothing really the
defense can do about it at all and
everyone that's so people want it banned
and then other people are like well you
guys can do it too and it's like well
yes sure but then it should definitely
be banned if everyone can just get a
free Unstoppable touchdown but the
credit to the Eagles for inventing it
executing it as properly as they do and
making it something that the league
needs to address
like that's a lot of credit to the
Eagles uh the eagle almost gets hit here
Eagle almost gets hit with that kick
thank you to DraftKings for sponsoring
this video right now new customers get
$200 in bonus Bets with a $5 bet
appreciate you DraftKings tush push you
like it you hate it you like it you
loath it you love it you loath it you
loath it you like it question mark