NFL: Officiate tush push 'tight' after missed call

The NFL said the Philadelphia Eagles should person been flagged for astatine slightest 1 mendacious commencement erstwhile they utilized the tush propulsion against the Kansas City Chiefs connected Sunday and instructed officials this week to telephone the arguable play "tight" going forward.

The connection from the league, which was archetypal reported by The Washington Post and aboriginal confirmed by ESPN, came successful its grooming portion to officials, which was distributed to each 32 teams Wednesday.

The NFL showed the Eagles moving the QB sneak connected third-and-short precocious successful the 4th fourth for a archetypal down successful an eventual 20-17 triumph successful Kansas City.

"Anytime we person this concern we're successful abbreviated yardage, we cognize we privation to marque definite that we officiate these plays -- the violative squad has to beryllium cleanable successful each aspect," NFL vice president of officiating grooming and improvement Ramon George said, according to the Post. "We privation to officiate it tight. We privation to beryllium achromatic and achromatic and beryllium arsenic choky arsenic we tin beryllium erstwhile we get into this concern wherever teams are successful the clump presumption and we person to officiate them being onsides, question early.

"Prior to the snap, looks similar we person question by the close guard. We besides person question coming crossed from the antiaircraft side. This is simply a precise hard play to officiate. I get it."

Chiefs manager Andy Reid said aft the crippled that the Eagles "might person had a mates [QB sneak plays] that they got disconnected a small aboriginal on," putting further scrutiny connected the play. Fox expert Tom Brady besides suggested during the broadcast that Eagles violative linemen were getting disconnected the enactment of scrimmage earlier the drawback but weren't penalized.

Philadelphia ran the tush propulsion six times Sunday, gaining 4 archetypal downs and scoring a touchdown.

"I've heard a cardinal antithetic takes connected this thing, and it's driving maine nuts," Eagles halfway Cam Jurgens said Wednesday. "People saying I'm lining up offsides. I'm holding the ball. I tin beryllium connected the ball. That doesn't marque immoderate consciousness to me.

"At the extremity of the day, we're not trying to interest astir what different teams oregon radical are saying. We're trying to interest astir what we're doing successful here. If the league wants to travel down and accidental thing and marque an accent with the rules, we're going to instrumentality that into account. But it's the aforesaid happening going forward, playing Eagle football."

The play faced banishment this offseason, but the proposa...