Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, and most of the starting lineup that returned for the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles took a night off.

But the tush push is always in play.

Without Hurts behind center, the Eagles used the contentious short-yardage play to success again, beating a potential ban in the offseason, then getting a helpful shove on quarterback Tanner McKee for a score to help Philadelphia beat the Cincinnati Bengals 34-27 on Thursday night in the preseason opener for both teams.

The Eagles wasted no time breaking out the play that narrowly survived banishment to live on in the playbook.

Against a Bengals team that played starters, including QB Joe Burrow and NFL receiving leader Ja'Marr Chase, the Eagles had the crowd buzzing when they assembled in the familiar form

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