How Yiddish inspired the Philadelphia Eagles' winning play in Super Bowl 2025

The Philadelphia Eagles didn’t just beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 2025, 40-22, they scored their first touchdown using the “tush push,” a play as straightforward as football gets: when the Eagles need a yard—whether on third-and-short, fourth-and-inches, or at the goal line—quarterback Jalen Hurts crouches and a human avalanche of teammates shoves him forward. There is no finesse, no deception, no nuance—just momentum, mass, and an unshakable belief that physics will do the rest.

What started as a quirk of strategy has become the most debated play in football. Critics call it ugly and say it should be banned. Defenders call it unstoppable. The Eagles just call it first down. The play itself is a modern update, and its name carries a legacy as well that stretches back much further—to Yiddish, to Jewish comedy, and to one of the most gloriously ridiculous musical numbers in cinema.

The Yiddish origins of ‘tush’
It’s hard to imagine the NFL’s most polarizing play being named after a bubbe’s favorite word for your rear end, but here we are.