49ers' Javon Hargrave has no magic answer to the Eagles' tush push

The San Francisco 49ers took from the team that ended their 2022 campaign in the offseason when they signed defensive tackle Javon Hargrave to a blockbuster deal in free agency.

But as they prepare for the rematch of last season's NFC Championship Game with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Niners won't be able to lean on Hargrave to help them devise a plan to stop the one Eagles play that has continued to confound opposing defenses.

Philadelphia has yet to come across an opponent with an answer for 'the tush push'. Despite spending the previous three seasons with the Eagles, Hargrave cannot offer any insight into how the 49ers can provide one in Sunday's Week 13 matchup.

Hargrave's response was short and to the point when asked if he has an idea of what he will do to try stop the Eagles' fabled short-yardage play with quarterback Jalen Hurts.

"Nah. I wish," was his reply.

It is a play that presents a massive problem for the 49ers' defense, with the Eagles essentially having three plays to get nine yards knowing the tush push will almost certainly get them the required extra yard on fourth down.

Yet the 49ers did stop it on their own goal line during their Week 7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Fred Warner leaping over the offensive line at the snap to corral Kirk Cousins.

Whether the 49ers will send Warner airborne again remains to be seen, but for head coach Kyle Shanahan the best defense against the play is to avoid getting into short yardage in the first place.

"You want to try to keep him out of those situations first and foremost. I know it’s possible to stop, but I think it’s pretty proven that it’s extremely hard, so you try to keep him out of those situations. They do such a good job of balancing everything out with the drop-backs, the play-actions, the RPOs, the quarterback run game, the regular run game. So, it’s really impossible to stay ahead of them in terms of who has the chalk last. They’ve got a lot of answers in their run game and stuff, which could put him in some pretty good situations. So, you’ve got to be able to weather the storm when they get you. Let it be a first down and not a touchdown. Play very disciplined, very sound, and when you get your opportunity to make plays you can’t miss them."

The 49ers' defense has in recent weeks done an excellent job of staying disciplined and making plays. Nobody has had a successful approach to defending the tush push over the last two seasons, however, if the Niners' defense maintains the levels it has reached across their three-game winning streak, having such a plan might not be so important.