The ongoing discussion surrounding the potential ban of the 'tush push' play in the NFL is gaining traction as league owners prepare to cast their votes. According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the outcome is expected to be closely contested, requiring the approval of 24 out of 32 owners for the ban to be implemented. This proposal, which seeks to prohibit pushing, pulling, lifting, or otherwise assisting the ball-carrier beyond merely blocking a defender, was initially introduced by the Green Bay Packers during the owners' meetings in March.

The impetus behind the Packers' proposal stems from their recent playoff encounter where they faced the Philadelphia Eagles, ultimately losing 22-10 in the NFC Wild Card round. Although the Eagles executed the tush push only once during that game, the conversion was crucial, occurring on a fourth-and-1 early in the fourth quarter when the Eagles were up 16-10 following a touchdown by the Packers. Jalen Hurts successfully converted the play, which extended a drive that consumed more than seven minutes off the clock and culminated in a 30-yard field goal by Jake Elliott, widening the score to 19-10.

In a revised proposal submitted on Monday, the Packers pointed to 'pace of play' as a fundamental reason for their push to ban the play. The previous season, the Eagles led the NFL in time of possession per game, averaging an impressive 32 minutes and 21 seconds. This stat is particularly notable as no other team surpassed the 32-minute mark in average possession. Research conducted by ESPN indicates that the Eagles and the Buffalo Bills have executed the tush push a combined total of 183 times over the past three seasons, significantly outpacing the other 30 teams in the league during that timeframe. Furthermore, these two teams have achieved an exceptional conversion rate of 87 percent when running the play, resulting in either a first down or touchdown, contrastly, the rest of the league has seen a success rate of 71 percent.