It started with a shove, just not the one you’d expect. With Jalen Hurts in street clothes and the Philadelphia Eagles‘ starters sitting out the 2025 preseason opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, all eyes shifted to Tanner McKee, who has now entered his third NFL year. Under the lights at Lincoln Financial Field, McKee lined up behind center on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. The crowd knew what was coming. The tush push—a play the NFL tried to erase this offseason was back. And it worked. Only this time, it wasn’t Hurts who got the shove. It was McKee. And he bulldozed his way into the end zone behind the muscle of his offensive line and the confidence of a quarterback room that’s slowly transforming into something much more collaborative than competitive.
The touchdown was just the start. McKee would go on to complete 80% of his passes for 252 yards, while his touchdowns went to Darius Cooper. He looked sharp, poised, and fully in command, even against a Bengals team that played key starters like Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase in the first quarter. But the real story of McKee’s night wasn’t just in the numbers. It was in the way he played, and who was watching him from the start.
On every possession, Hurts stood nearby on the sideline. Not just as a silent observer, but as an active communicator. After every drive, there were discussions. Adjustments. Shared observations. It was a side of Hurts that casual fans rarely see, but it’s one that coaches and players inside the locker room swear by. Hurts leading McKee from the sidelines hinted at a deeper truth: what the Eagles do behind the scenes is building something far more valuable than just game plans. It’s building trust.
John Clark from NBCS Philly quoted McKee after his magnificent performance against the Bengals. And the 25-year-old’s words reflect the trust that the backup QB has in the Eagles’ main QB. McKee told Clark, “He’s great. Obviously very knowledgeable of the game. He’s been around the league for a while and just has played in a lot of games…just the relationship that we have of going back and forth and kind of things that we’re seeing on the field. I feel like just me being in the offense for three years and being in the same room, I feel like each year our relationship has gotten better and we just can trust each other more, I guess, and kind of trust each other’s eyes and kind of see what we’re seeing.”
Eagles backup QB Tanner McKee completed 80% of his passes and had 252 yards with three total touchdowns last night in the preseason opener. He says his relationship with Jalen Hurts has grown.
“He’s great. Obviously very knowledgeable of the game. He’s been around the league… pic.twitter.com/cUdE2zEEHo
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) August 8, 2025
When the Eagles drafted McKee in the sixth round out of Stanford in 2023, few imagined he’d be QB2 within a year. But following Marcus Mariota’s exit in 2024, and a stellar training camp, McKee has earned that spot, not just because of his arm, but because of his mind. The QB further added on what’s ahead, “And so I think there’s going to be a lot of communication when I’m coming off the field. He’s coming off the field of what the other person’s been seeing on the sideline to help each other out.”
But no matter how much mutual trust exists behind closed doors, one successful preseason touchdown was all it took for outside noise to resurface louder than ever.
The ‘tush-push’ is back, and so is the criticism for Jalen Hurts
When Tanner McKee scored on a fourth-and-goal quarterback sneak, Philadelphia’s patented ‘tush push’ play against the Cincinnati Bengals in the preseason opener, it should have simply been a testament to the team’s depth and offensive execution. Instead, it reignited a national debate that has hovered over Jalen Hurts for over a year: Is Hurts a true elite quarterback, or just the most prominent beneficiary of the NFL’s most unstoppable short-yardage strategy?
Hurts, who sat out the game, leads the NFL in one-yard rushing touchdowns since becoming a starter. Of his 55 career rushing touchdowns, an astonishing 33 have come from just one yard out, many via the controversial ‘tush push.’ Supporters of the play point to Hurts’ elite lower-body strength, decision-making, and fearlessness in short-yardage scenarios. However, as per PFN’s Sebastian Mondaca, the detractors argue it pads his stats and downplays his true passing ability, using the system to elevate his numbers rather than showcasing his talent. On Thursday night, McKee’s seamless execution of the same play gave critics fresh ammunition.
Hurts wasn’t even on the field, but the social media storm that followed suggested otherwise. Yet the Eagles aren’t strangers to this conversation. Head coach Nick Sirianni continually defended Hurts, emphasizing the nuances of the ‘tush push’ and how it only works with Hurts’ unique combination of athleticism, core strength, timing, and toughness. Still, perception matters, especially in a media-driven league. McKee’s preseason touchdown was clean, efficient, and visually indistinguishable from Hurts’ versions. But the impact it left was very different. As the Eagles prepare for the 2025 regular season, it’s clear that one preseason play has done more than move the chains; it’s moved the discourse. For a quarterback who has repeatedly silenced critics with performance, the challenge this time may not be fourth-and-one, but the court of public opinion.
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