The tush push is widely viewed as one of the toughest plays in football to defend, and the Pittsburgh Steelers found a creative way to take advantage of that during their game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
The Steelers lined up to go for it on 4th-and-1 from their own 44-yard line late in the first half at Soldier Field in Chicago, Ill. Based on the formation, it looked like Pittsburgh was going to use tight end Connor Heyward to run a tush push. That is exactly what the Steelers wanted the Bears to think.
Rather than plunging forward, Heyward took the snap and quickly handed it off to Kenneth Gainwell. The running back turned the corner and picked up 56 yards before being dragged down near the goal line.
FIRST DOWN KG 💪
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) November 23, 2025
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Jaylen Warren scored on the next play to give the Steelers a 20-14 lead.
The fake tush push was a brilliant call from Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Teams have tried to come up with creative ways to stop the tush push, and the Steelers probably saw something with the way the Bears defend it. Rather than picking up a short gain to keep the drive alive, Pittsburgh set up a touchdown to take the lead.
