The Philadelphia Eagles' 20-17 road win over the Kansas City Chiefs was far from perfect, with several obvious improvements needed throughout the game.
One obvious issue pointed out by NFL pundit Warren Sharp was a clear false start that officials missed on the Tush Push. This happened twice, with Philly clearly jumping well before the ball found quarterback Jalen Hurts. It wasn't an ideal moment when many around the league are looking for any excuse to ban the play.
An obvious reaction that was instant for Chiefs fans who felt understandably cheated by the missed call. The Eagles were going to win this game, whether or not the officials caught the false starts, as the offensive front was dominating, allowing for Hurts to simply hand the ball off to Saquon Barkley and focus on shortening the game.
Five yards isn't changing the fact that this was the Eagles' game to lose with the Chiefs unable to do anything consistently. Still, there is no denying that Philadelphia needs to quickly clean up its mistakes, though, if it wants to win another Super Bowl.
Eagles Coaching Staff Must Focus on Cleaning Up Obvious Errors After Week 2 Win
Cleaning up the Tush Push is vital, giving the NFL no reason to add more momentum behind a potential ban on the play. What is so frustrating about this concept is the idea that the Eagles are somehow cheating or breaking the league's rules. No, Philly simply has the perfect personnel grouping to run a play that no other franchise can run at this level. Doubters and opposing fans would feel far differently about the play if their team were able to run it at a high level.
At the same time, no other group has Hurts and an incredible offensive line that has perfected the play. While the play is understandably hard to officiate, banning it makes as much sense as not allowing Lamar Jackson to use his unfair speed or refusing to allow Patrick Mahomes to pretend to go out of bounds only to scamper for more yardage.
Both plays are frustratingly unstoppable, and yet there is no outcry to suggest that these normal pieces of the game be banned. For the Eagles, it is important not to stoke this fire, and that means cleaning up the pre-snap movement, as putting the spotlight on a play that has caught a lot of attention is obviously less than ideal.
Now, the attention turns to the Week 3 meeting with the Los Angeles Rams, who have a great defensive unit as well. The early schedule is testing the Eagles, emphasizing why they must figure out the issue to get the offense running as smoothly as possible.