Bills' Allen defends tush push: 'If you don't like it, my advice is to stop it'

Reigning MVP Josh Allen doesn't support banning the tush push just because a few teams are good at running it.

"I'm a big believer in if you can't stop it, keep running it," Allen told Sports Illustrated's Liam McKeone.

The Green Bay Packers submitted a proposal to ban the tush push in February, citing player safety issues and competitiveness. Only 10 of the 32 teams voted against banning the play, with the proposal needing at least 24 votes to pass. It included language that would have prohibited pushing or pulling a ball carrier in "any direction at any time" and helping to lift a runner. The measure would have also prevented offensive players from assisting a runner, except when individuals are blocking opponents.

"I think that there's a few teams that do it better than others, but then you look at a few teams that try to do it, and it doesn't have the same success," Allen said. "And just because a couple teams do it better than others, I don't feel like it should be banned."

Allen added: "If you don't like it, my advice is to stop it."

While Allen is in favor of the play, Bills head coach Sean McDermott has voiced concern about it due to the health and safety of players.

"It's two things. It's force, added forced, No. 1. And then the posture of the players, being asked to execute that type of play. That's where my concern comes in," McDermott said in May, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle's Sal Maiorana.

The Bills are one of a few teams that have experienced success with running a version of the controversial play. The Philadelphia Eagles have run it more than any other team since 2022, executing the play 122 times, followed by Buffalo (74), the Pittsburgh Steelers (55), and the Denver Broncos (52), per Maiorana.

Buffalo's offense has used Allen's 6-foot-5, 237-pound frame to move the chains in short-yardage situations on late downs. The quarterback went 9-of-9 on fourth-down quarterback sneaks and was successful on 20-of-21 QB sneak attempts on third and fourth down prior to the AFC Championship Game, according to Syracuse.com's Matt Parrino.