Jason Kelce admits ‘push-push’ could be banned if NFL doesn’t manage properly
Ralphie Aversa talks with former Eagles center Jason Kelce about the infamous tush-push play and how it could lead to an NFL ban.
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- NFL Week 9 was an eventful one with several challenges to the emerging hierarchy.
- The Colts previously seemed unstoppable, but Daniel Jones and a strong offensive line played a big role against the Steelers.
- Riding on momentum, the Chiefs entered the game against a Bills team that is still aiming to advance to the postseason.
32 things we learned from Week 9 of the 2025 NFL season:
1. No lead is safe, no team is as good as you think, and no team is probably that bad.
2. The Indianapolis Colts entered the weekend with the league’s best record at 7-1, but lost 27-20 in Pittsburgh to the Steelers, who had lost consecutive games.
3. Admittedly, I was wrong about Indy. I thought the Colts would pick near the top of the 2026 draft and probably wouldn’t make the playoffs. However, they were put on a lot of weight due to a packed schedule against poor opponents like the Dolphins, Raiders, and Titans (twice).
4. Entering Sunday facing one of the league’s worst Pittsburgh defenses and the NFL’s worst defense against the pass, Indianapolis QB Daniel Jones (five turnovers) played less like a potential Most Valuable Player candidate and more like the New York Giants version of himself facing the Steel Curtain. That performance relegated fellow MVP hopeful Jonathan Taylor to mediocrity, with 57 yards from scrimmage and no TD.
5. Number of consecutive times the Buffalo Bills defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in the regular season. On Sunday, Buffalo won 28-21 at Highmark Stadium.
6. In doing so, the Bills failed to complete at least 50% of KC QB Patrick Mahomes’ passes in the first game of his illustrious nine-year career, but the three-time Super Bowl MVP connected on just 15 of his 34 throws.
7. Mahomes’ chance to win a third league MVP was dashed on Sunday…but there’s no way he’s forgotten about his 4-0 record against Buffalo in the playoffs.
8. Six hundred miles north and west of Pittsburgh, the Green Bay Packers, another projected No. 1 seed, laid an egg at home against a Carolina Panthers team with a battered offensive line. Regardless, RB Rico Doodle’s making of Pack D turned out to be the latest Pack sacrificed in a banner season in which he replaced Chuba Hubbard as Carolina’s marquee player.
9. If not being able to handle Dowdle wasn’t bad enough, six days after hurting the very same Steelers that rocked the Colts, the Pack couldn’t move the ball very well. (This league, dude…who knows?)
10. And who knew Dowdle wouldn’t be able to pump in celebration after visiting the end zone for the second time on Sunday?
11. Maybe the Packers need to get out of the old-school uniform business, since they didn’t look all that great in their navy/brown/copper “1923 Classic” uniforms, literally.
12. But we appreciate the dedication of the guys at Guardian Cap for organizing something for Green Bay WR Romeo Dubs. He wore a padded cover, as he always does during games…though it looked nothing like the leather helmets worn over a century ago.
13. Green Bay went from being the projected No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs at the beginning of Sunday to No. 4 by the end of the day, fortunately sitting atop the rapidly gaining momentum in the NFC North.
14. The Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have moved to the top of the NFC standings along with the Los Angeles Rams, but their 5-1 conference record means the reigning champions are technically in first place.
15. Meanwhile, the Colts currently maintain first place in the AFC with a 6-1 record in conference games. That aside, they are in a three-way tie with the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos, who improved to 7-2 on Sunday.
16. With Jones and Taylor losing heavily in the Steel City, Mahomes’ Chiefs losing in Western New York, and Baker Mayfield of the Bucks receiving a bye, is there a new MVP candidate on the other end of the list?
17. Maybe Patriots QB Drake Maye? Despite it being the second-year star’s brightest afternoon, coming off a one-point loss to the Atlanta Falcons, he led the way to yet another win Sunday with a typically efficient performance.
18. Perhaps Buffalo’s Josh Allen will stick with the hardware for another year after racking up three more TDs (two rushing, one passing) against the Chiefs.
19. But in my opinion, QB Matthew Stafford. He has thrown nine TD passes (zero INTs) in the last two games for the Rams, who are on a hot streak and have won their last three games by a combined score of 86-20.
20. Recently signed Broncos tight end Marcedes Lewis made his season debut on Sunday and played in the NFL season.
twenty one. Speaking of surprises for the Minnesota Vikings, QB1 JJ McCarthy returned to the lineup and scored 3 TDs to beat the Lions in Detroit for the first time since the 2020 season.
twenty two. However, newly extended Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson was able to (barely) sack his former University of Michigan teammate in his first professional match.
twenty three. Another former Wolverine, Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland, didn’t score yet in his rookie season, but he scored his first two professional touchdowns in Cincinnati on Sunday, including a game-winning 58-yard run-and-catch with 17 seconds left.
twenty four. Doodle 2.0? What about Chicago rookie RB Kyle Monangai? Monangai, who started in place of injured starter D’Andre Swift, exploded for 198 yards from scrimmage in Sunday’s win.
twenty five. Overall, the rising Bears and rookie head coach Ben Johnson had their most prolific offense of the season with 47 points and 576 yards. QB Caleb Williams completed a three-point pass and caught his first career TD from WR DJ Moore on a trick play.
26. Cincinnati QB Joe Flacco toyed with Chicago’s defense, gaining 470 yards and four touchdowns through the air. Remarkably, this was the first time in Flacco’s 18-year career that he threw for more than 400 yards.
27. No quarterback, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers or Warren Moon, has thrown for more yards in a regular-season game than Flacco on Sunday since his 40th birthday.
28. But the crushing loss to the Bears should highlight at least one important issue for the Bengals. It’s time to do everything possible for Pro Bowl DE Trey Hendrickson and move him before Tuesday’s trade deadline at 4pm ET.
29. Sunday’s decisive loss to the Rams may also clarify two important considerations for the New Orleans Saints.
29a. New Orleans GM Mickey Loomis, who is currently 1-8, should break with his previous record and consider a fire sale heading into Tuesday, possibly even dangling WR Chris Olave as a potential trade partner.
29b. The Saints, who currently lead the 2026 draft standings, are almost certain to take a quarterback in the first round next year for the first time in 55 years. The last player taken in the first round was Archie Manning in 1971.30. The San Francisco 49ers are still in a corner, thanks in large part to the efforts of running back Christian McCaffrey, who gained 173 yards from scrimmage and scored two TDs in Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.
31. CMC has a realistic shot to become the first player to rush for 1,000 yards in multiple seasons and Currently receiving.
32. The kicking part of the NFL record books continues to be rewritten, with Jacksonville Jaguars’ K. Cam Little setting a record with 68 yards in his team’s 30-29 overtime victory in Las Vegas. Brandon Aubrey, your actions.
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