Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson comes up with real reason behind Eagles’ ‘Brotherly Shove’ move’s massive success

The Philadelphia Eagles' secret weapon on offense known as the "Brotherly Shove" has caught on across the league. While most NFL teams do it in short-yard situations, Philadelphia seems to have it down to an exact science.

The massive success behind the play has very much to do with science, according to astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. Tyson spoke to Kyle Brandt of "GMFB" about why the "Brotherly Shove" is underpinned by physics:

"The Eagles have the advantage because they're hiking, and no one on the Chiefs can move until after the Eagles move. And so the Eagles get like a quarter-second headstart in momentum transfer.

"OK, so the Eagles are already in motion. They are using Earth as a launch point for their movement. In fact, if you run the math on this, yeah, every time the Eagles run this play, it slightly changes the rotation of the Earth."

DeGrasse Tyson concluded:

"If I'm on the opposing team, I want to jump over here and who the quarterback is ready to come over. So, I chip over you, and you know what happens if you jump over? You're no longer connected to the Earth. So, that's a disadvantage. Yes. If you're not connected to the Earth, you've got nothing to press against."

The "Brotherly Shove" has been nearly unstoppable for quarterback Jalen Hurts, center Jason Kelce and the Philadelphia Eagles offense. Opposing defenses have been baffled at how to stop it.

According to "The Athletic," the "Brotherly Shove" had a 93.5% success rate in the 2022 season. This includes six times that turned into two touchdowns in their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 57.

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Could the Eagles' 'Brotherly Shove' be banned by the NFL?

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell spoke to the media at the league meeting in Irving, Texas, in December about the play. Goodell made it clear that he has not made a stance on it one way or the other despite reports of wanting it banned:

"I want to hear how people feel about it. A lot of it's 'I like' or 'don't like.' I think we want to look at, is there enough data to talk about the safety of it? Are there other aspects that we need to think about?

"A lot of coaches talked last year about innovation would come off of that play. I'd like to take a look back at that. Has that really occurred? Listen, I think in anything it's important to hear the different perspectives."

Fans will have to wait until the NFL's yearly meeting in March to see what happens to the "Brotherly Shove" next season.