Eagles' "Brotherly Shove" Short-Yardage Play Draws Attention Ahead of Chiefs Clash
The Philadelphia Eagles' unconventional short-yardage play, aptly nicknamed the "Brotherly Shove," is gaining notoriety in the NFL, and the Kansas City Chiefs are the latest team gearing up to counter it in their Monday night matchup.
The play, a rugby-style quarterback sneak, involves three players pushing quarterback Jalen Hurts forward, and it has been a remarkably successful strategy for the Eagles under head coach Nick Sirianni. Last season, the play boasted over 90% efficiency, and this season, it stands at an impressive 84%, with 21 successful attempts out of 25, according to Sports Info Solutions.
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In Super Bowl 57, when the Eagles faced the Chiefs, they executed the play six times, converting all six attempts, including two for touchdowns. The Chiefs are well aware of the challenge it presents, prompting defensive tackle Chris Jones to humorously suggest studying rugby defense to counter the unique play.
“They’re so good at it,” Jones said. “Unfortunately, we haven’t watched any rugby style of defense yet, but we’ll figure something out.”
Defensive end Mike Danna acknowledged the challenge, stating, “What we can do is just try to get behind it and push our tails off.”
One of the main reasons behind the play's success, according to defensive end Charles Omenihu, is the Eagles' sizable offensive linemen and the physical presence of quarterback Jalen Hurts.
“They got big [offensive] lineman,” Omenihu said. “They get low, and Jalen [is] a big quarterback. They’ve perfected it; gonna have to find a way on 4th and 1 to stop that.”
The Eagles have added variations to the play, incorporating handoffs to running back Kenneth Gainwell and even pitches to Gainwell, keeping opposing defenses on their toes.
The Chiefs' defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo, recognizes the importance of preventing the Eagles from entering short-yardage situations in the first place.
“First and second down are huge,” Spagnuolo said. “To end up in those shorter third downs is really tough against this team. I mean, they’ll run it on a 3rd and 7 and then go for it on fourth down, we know that. So they keep you on your toes. So we just feel like first and second down was a key down for us in this game.”
While the Eagles rank 18th in rushing yards per attempt, the Chiefs believe that halting Hurts and stifling the run game will be crucial to overcoming the Eagles' offensive prowess. Despite the formidable receiving duo of AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith, the Chiefs' focus is on limiting Hurts's ground production.
“Eliminate the run game,” Jones emphasized regarding stopping Hurts. “Force hands in his face and take him down in the passing game. Get around him, overcrowd him. They have such a good offensive line who have done really, really well so far this year, so we have to come up with schemes and everything to affect Jalen Hurts.”