Problems officiating the tush push could be the new argument to support banning it

The Super Bowl rematch turned into bully ball highlighted by the NFL’s ugliest play.

Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles pushed — literally — their way past Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, 20-17, on Sunday.

Hurts scored a touchdown on a tush push and the Eagles used the play seven times to help hand the Chiefs their first three-game losing streak with Mahomes and send them to their first 0-2 start since 2014.

The NFL tried to ban to the tush push following a proposal from the Green Bay Packers in the offseason but fell two votes short of eliminating it.

Those who oppose the play must’ve cringed watching the Eagles use it repeatedly in front of a national television audience.

There’s no doubt many of the decision-makers noticed.

Tom Brady pointed out that two of Philadelphia’s offensive linemen moved early when Hurts was pushed into the end zone for a 20-10 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

Replays showed the Eagles got away with a false start.

After Hurts appeared to lose the ball but was ruled down to gain a first down on the play in the final two minutes, Fox rules analyst Dean Blandino said: “I am done with the tush push, guys. It’s a hard play to officiate.”

While there was plenty of scoring and exciting action around the league in Week 2 — the Cowboys beat the Giants 40-37 in overtime in a thrilling, back-and-forth matchup — the tush push became a main topic of conversation during the NFL’s game of the week.

Sure, there was plenty of talk about Kansas City’s early season struggles, Andy Reid’s out-of-sync offense and Travis Kelce not being on the same page with Mahomes. But the game wasn’t pretty and the tush push magnified the ugliness.

Critics argued in the offseason that it’s a dangerous play, but there wasn’t enough injury data to ban it for safety concerns. Most of the disdain was directed at the aesthetics of the play.

“Is it part of what football has been traditionally, or is it more of a rugby play?” NFL Competition Committee chairman Rich McKay said about the discussion.

Those who hate the appearance of the tush push saw it on full display at Arrowhead Stadium.

They’ll have to see it for at least the remainder of the season because it’s not going anywhere. The Eagles (2-0) have mastered it in short-yardage situations and they’ll keep using it until team owners vote to get rid of it, if they ever do.

Blandino’s frustration with the play was echoed by viewers and NFL fans except for anyone who roots for Philly. The new argument against it could center on the difficulty officiating it properly.

“We work our (tails) off on it,” coach Nick Sirianni said. “First of all, it’s all about the guys, right? It’s all about the guys up front, the tight ends, Jalen, the timing of everything. Obviously, won’t get into all the things that we do to prepare for it, but it’s not an easy play to practice, but our guys do a great job of simulating it as much as we possibly can.

“During practice, during walkthroughs, different things like that, creativity by our coaches to find ways to do that. As you can see, teams are going to do everything they can possibly do to stop it. Some of the things, I won’t get into that, either. I won’t give any other teams a clue to what they were doing. We’re prepared for all those things, and the guys are prepared for all those things. I think it always comes down to those guys up front and Jalen had a lot of success with that play. We’ll continue to use it to our advantage.”

If it becomes an unfair advantage because officials can't catch false starts, the NFL will have to address the problem.

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Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) is helped up by center Cam Jurgens, center back, after scoring a touchdown on a tush push late in the second half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton (32), safety Chamarri Conner (27) and defensive end Charles Omenihu (90) try to stop a tush push by the Philadelphia Eagles late in the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) hug following an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts gets up off the turf after scoring a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

LOS GATOS, Calif. (AP) — Like many retirement communities, The Terraces serves as a tranquil refuge for a nucleus of older people who no longer can travel to faraway places or engaging in bold adventures.

But they can still be thrust back to their days of wanderlust and thrill-seeking whenever caretakers at the community in Los Gatos, California, schedule a date for residents — many of whom are in their 80s and 90s — to take turns donning virtual reality headsets.

Within a matter of minutes, the headsets can transport them to Europe, immerse them in the ocean depths or soar them on breathtaking hang-gliding expeditions while they sit by each other. The selection of VR programming was curated by Rendever, a company that has turned a sometimes isolating form of technology into a catalyst for better cognition and social connections in 800 retirement communities in the United States and Canada.

A group of The Terraces residents who participated in a VR session earlier this year found themselves paddling their arms alongside their chairs as they swam with a pod of dolphins while watching one of Rendever's 3D programs. “We got to go underwater and didn't even have to hold our breath!” exclaimed 81-year-old Ginny Baird following the virtual submersion.

During a session featuring a virtual ride in a hot-air balloon, one resident gasped, “Oh my God!” Another shuddered, “It's hard to watch!”

The Rendever technology can also be used to virtually take older adults back to the places where they grew up as children. For some, it will be the first time they've seen their hometowns in decades.

A virtual trip to her childhood neighborhood in New York City's Queens borough helped sell Sue Livingstone, 84, on the merits of the VR technology even though she still is able to get out more often than many residents of The Terraces, which is located in Silicon Valley about 55 miles south of San Francisco.

“It isn't just about being able to see it again, it's about all the memories that it brings back,” Livingstone said. “There are a few people living here who never really leave their comfort zones. But if you could entice them to come down to try out a headset, they might find that they really enjoy it.”

Adrian Marshall, The Terraces' community life director, said that once word about a VR experience spreads from one resident to another, more of the uninitiated typically become curious enough to try it out — even if it means missing out on playing Mexican Train, a dominoes-like board game that's popular in the community.

“It turns into a conversation starter for them. It really does connect people,” Marshall said of Rendever's VR programming. “It helps create a human bridge that makes them realize they share certain similarities and interests. It turns the artificial world into reality.”

Rendever, a privately owned company based in Somerville, Massachusetts, hopes to build upon its senior living platform with a recent grant from the National Institutes of Health that will provide nearly $4.5 million to study ways to reduce social isolation among seniors living at home and their caregivers.

Some studies have found VR programming presented in a limited viewing format can help older people maintain and improve cognitive functions, burnish memories and foster social connections with their families and fellow residents of care facilities. Experts say the technology may be useful as an addition to and not a replacement for other activities.

“There is always a risk of too much screen time," Katherine “Kate” Dupuis, a neuropsychologist and professor who studies aging issues at Sheridan College in Canada, said. “But if you use it cautiously, with meaning and purpose, it can be very helpful. It can be an opportunity for the elderly to engage with someone and share a sense of wonder.”

VR headsets may be an easier way for older people to interact with technology instead of fumbling around with a smartphone or another device that requires navigating buttons or other mechanisms, said Pallabi Bhowmick, a researcher at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who is examining the use of VR with older adults.

“The stereotypes that older adults aren’t willing to try new technology needs to change because they are willing and want to adapt to technologies that are meaningful to them,” Bhowmick said. "Besides helping them to relieve stress, be entertained and connect with other people, there is an intergenerational aspect that might help them build their relationships with younger people who find out they use VR and say, ‘Grandpa is cool!’"

Rendever CEO Kyle Rand's interest in helping his own grandmother deal with the emotional and mental challenges of aging pushed him down a path that led him to cofound the company in 2016 after studying neuroengineering at Duke University.

“What really fascinates me about humans is just how much our brain depends on social connection and how much we learn from others,” Rand said. “A group of elderly residents who don't really know each other that well can come together, spend 30 minutes in a VR experience together and then find themselves sitting down to have lunch together while continuing a conversation about the experience.”

It's a large enough market that another VR specialist, Dallas-based Mynd Immersive, competes against Rendever with services tailored for senior living communities.

Besides helping create social connections, the VR programming from both Rendever and Mynd has been employed as a possible tool for potentially slowing down the deleterious effects of dementia. That's how another Silicon Valley retirement village, the Forum, sometimes uses the technology.

Bob Rogallo, a Forum resident with dementia that has rendered him speechless, seemed to be enjoying taking a virtual hike through Glacier National Park in Montana as he nodded and smiled while celebrating his 83rd birthday with his wife of 61 years.

Sallie Rogallo, who doesn't have dementia, said the experience brought back fond memories of the couple's visits to the same park during the more than 30 years they spent cruising around the U.S. in their recreational vehicle.

“It made me wish I was 30 years younger so I could do it again,” she said of the virtual visit to Glacier. “This lets you get out of the same environment and either go to a new place or visit places where you have been.”

In another session at the Forum, 93-year-old Almut Schultz laughed with delight while viewing a virtual classical music performance at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado and later seemed to want to play with a puppy frolicking around in her VR headset.

“That was quite a session we had there,” Schultz said with a big grin after she took off her headset and returned to reality.

Rendever CEO Kyle Rand is pictured at Salesforce Park in San Francisco on June 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)

Jim Holtshouse and his son, Mike Holtshouse, watch video through Rendever virtual-reality headsets at the Forum at Rancho San Antonio retirement community in Cupertino, Calif. on June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)

Bob Rogallo watches video through a Rendever virtual-reality headset at the Forum at Rancho San Antonio retirement community in Cupertino, Calif. on June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)

Mike Holtshouse and his father, Jim Holtshouse, watch video through Rendever virtual-reality headsets at the Forum at Rancho San Antonio retirement community in Cupertino, Calif. on June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)

Jim Holtshouse watches video through a Rendever virtual-reality headset at the Forum at Rancho San Antonio retirement community in Cupertino, Calif. on June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)