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Now Madden NFL has two plays it must add to the Philadelphia Eagles playbook

Saqaun Barkley hurdles onto the Madden 26 cover.
Saqaun Barkley hurdles onto the Madden 26 cover. | EA Sports

The Philadelphia Eagles have been dominating the NFL with the Tush Push, their own unique version of a quarterback sneak. Other teams have tried and failed to replicate its success, and now there's a movement to ban it. Don't look now, but the Eagles have figured out how to make it even better:

The Buccaneers were so ready to try and stop the Tush Push, the counter sweep went completely undefended. I think it's safe to say we'll see that play again in the future. This is a play we need to see in Madden NFL, but there's a problem. The Tush Push still isn't in the game even though the Eagles have been running it effectively since 2021.

This is not a good look for a company that always tells us that "If It's In The Game, It's In The Game." The Tush Push is the most important play in the game, and a crucial part of Philly's Super Bowl runs. It's conspicuous by its absence in a game that is constantly adding new plays.

When EA first pitched the idea of this football game to John Madden, titles of the era only featured 7-on-7 due to technological limitations. Madden said he would only put his name on a real football game with 22 men on the field. EA figured out how to do it, because they didn't have a choice.

Now it's actually football fans who don't have a choice, as Madden has a monopoly on NFL sims. They don't have to figure it out this time to keep making money, but it's hard to call it a realistic sim while the Tush Push isn't in it.

After several years of this innovative play, now it has a brand new wrinkle. The Eagles playbook in Madden looks less and less like its actual playbook with each passing week.

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