NFL referees flag Saints — not the Eagles — for false start on tush push attempt
NFL officials are cracking down on tush push false starts on Sunday - for some teams.
Hours after the Philadelphia Eagles got away with another false start on the team's signature play, the New Orleans Saints were flagged for moving early after attempting a tush push in the first quarter. New Orleans went for it on fourth-and-less than 1, but failed to get the ball over the line before being flagged.
Called it right away, too... so it's hard to officiate? https://t.co/gjU9oC0EC6pic.twitter.com/yVWTUjeYQl
- Doug Farrar (@NFL_DougFarrar) September 21, 2025
As a result of the penalty, the Saints were forced to punt - right into the hands of Seahawks wide receiver Tory Horton, who returned the punt for a 95-yard touchdown.
The first punt return TD by the @Seahawks in 10 years! pic.twitter.com/JPMxMFO7Xo
- NFL (@NFL) September 21, 2025
As New Orleans got the ball back, the Saints then had two more false start penalties, plus a holding call, on the next drive as Seattle's 12th Man set the tone. Neither false start call was on another tush push attempt.
Philadelphia, meanwhile, got away with a few early players on its first attempt on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, despite some expecting the team to get a little extra scrutiny. The play, on fourth-and-1, lead Jalen Hurts to sneak the football over the line, extending the drive and later scoring a touchdown.
The Eagles have been under fire recently for the leeway the team seems to get with the tush push. Last week, during Philadelphia's 20-17 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, the Eagles got away with multiple offensive linemen moving early on what would become the game-winning touchdown. Tom Brady called out the missed flag on the broadcast, with Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and defensive lineman Chris Jones both noting the issue postgame.
You can't get all the calls right," Jones said. "Just because we see it, sometimes the official is 15 to 20 feet away and sometimes they can miss those small things. We think he jumped multiple times. The official didn't see it, so it wasn't called. We just have to go play the next down."
The issue has reached the point that the NFL reportedly sent training video to all teams and officials last week, saying that calls on pre-snap penalties would be tighter going forward; the Eagles' missed false start from last week was included in that video. The intention was to crack down on plays like the tush push, and so far, that does seem to be the case - if you don't play for Philadelphia.