Matt LaFleur very clearly annoyed about Tush Push before Eagles game
After the Philadelphia Eagles tush pushed their way to a Super Bowl title in 2024, the play faced scrutiny. The Green Bay Packers led the charge to ban the tush push over the offseason. However, the proposal to kill the play didn’t garner enough support and the push survived.
The Eagles have continued pushing tush in 2025, running the play four straight times at one point against the New York Giants. Now Philadelphia will face Green Bay for the first time since the ban proposal. And it’s clear that Matt LaFleur is annoyed about having to defend against the play during Week 10’s matchup.
The Packers head coach told reporters he didn’t want to “get into it,” per Rob Demovsky of ESPN. “It is what it is. The NFL made a decision, and we have to find a way to try to stop the play, and it’s a tough play to stop.”
Packers anticipate plenty of tush pushing vs. Eagles on MNF
Last season, former Packers team president Mark Murphy made no secret how he felt about the tush push. “I am not a fan of this play. There is no skill involved, and it is almost an automatic first down on plays of a yard or less,” Murphy noted.
The Eagles didn’t appreciate the Packers attempting to get their pet play banned. So fans are likely to see Philly pushing lots of tush when the teams face off on Monday Night Football in Week 10.
LaFleur acknowledged the only real defense against the play is to “not allow it to happen,” via Demovsky. “You can’t allow them in those short-yardage situations because you know exactly what they’re going to do. And they’ve been pretty successful at it obviously,” LaFleur said.
The Packers are coming off a ugly loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 9. The 16-13 defeat dropped Green Bay to 5-2-1 on the season. The team still holds a narrow lead in the NFC North. However, the Packers lost more than the game last Sunday.
Star tight end Tucker Kraft suffered a season-ending ACL tear against Carolina. It’s a devastating blow to Green Bay’s eighth-ranked passing offense. Kraft was a key contributor to the Packers’ air attack. He led the team with 489 yards on 32 receptions and scored six touchdowns in eight games this season.
LaFleur and the Packers have a lot to figure out. Unfortunately, Green Bay will be figuring things out in prime time against an Eagles team that was heating up before its Week 9 bye.
Colts Get Big Update on CB Sauce Gardner After Trade
The Indianapolis Colts have been one of the surprise teams during the 2025 NFL season thus far, with head coach Shane Stiechen molding this team into a legitimate Super Bowl title contender in the AFC.
The Colts are sporting a 7-2 record heading into Week 10’s matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, which will take place overseas in Germany at Olympic Stadium Berlin. The team hopes to bounce back after the loss to Aaron Rodgers‘ Pittsburgh Steelers, while also potentially seeing what they have with newcomer Sauce Gardner at cornerback, who was acquired ahead of the NFL trade deadline earlier this week.
Sauce Gardner’s Status for Colts Debut Revealed
GettySauce Gardner of the Indianapolis Colts, formerly of the New York Jets.
It’s safe to say that the Colts were the big winners after the NFL trade deadline, with the franchise pulling off a blockbuster trade to acquire Gardner, which will vastly improve the team’s secondary in the second half of the 2025 NFL season.
However, it has been uncertain until now whether the two-time All-Pro corner would be able to make his debut with the Colts due to being in concussion protocol, which was further complicated by the team traveling to Germany for Week 10’s matchup with the Falcons.
According to Mike Chappell of FOX54/CBS4 Sports, Gardner has cleared concussion protocol and is expected to play and start in Sunday’s game in Berlin.
Colts Sauce Gardner has cleared concussion protocol. Expected to play/start Sunday vs Falcons in Berlin.
This is great news for the Colts, as they get to see how Gardner transforms their defense right out of the gate, only days after the NFL trade deadline passed.
With the Colts already arguably being a legitimate Super Bowl title contender, Indianapolis improved its chances of coming out on top in the AFC this season with the addition of one of the best corners in the NFL.
It’ll be interesting to see what impact Gardner makes in his first game with the Colts and whether that will result in a bounce-back win for the squad, improving their record to 8-2.
In seven games played with the Jets this season, Gardner recorded six passes defended and 20 total tackles.
Colts Legit Title Contenders After Sauce Gardner Trade?
GettySauce Gardner #1 of the Indianapolis, formerly of the New York Jets.
Before sending shockwaves throughout the league after acquiring Gardner in a deal ahead of the NFL trade deadline, the Colts were widely considered to be one of the best teams in the league this season, with rejuvenated stars Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor leading the way.
Even though it felt like the Colts would eventually come back down to earth and resemble the struggling franchise they’ve been since the sudden retirement of Andrew Luck, Indianapolis has won seven out of its nine games played. It seems to be well on its way to winning the AFC South division title and securing a high seed heading into the NFL playoffs.
The addition of Gardner turns a good team into a potentially great team with Super Bowl aspirations, as they may be able to be as dominant defensively as they already are on the offensive side of the football.
