NEW ORLEANS — Line up, push and pray.

When it comes to stopping the Philadelphia Eagles’ punishing quarterback sneak — dubbed “the tush push” for the unique way players line up behind quarterback Jalen Hurts to push him forward — the Kansas City Chiefs acknowledge they’re not sure if they have the answers entering Super Bowl LIX on Sunday.

“It just comes down to sheer will,” Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said. “They’ve found a way to out-will people on that particular play.”

It resembles a rugby-like scrum when Hurts goes under center and teammates position themselves behind either hip. Lunging forward in a mass of humanity that could reach more than 3,000 pounds, the Eagles have dominated short-yardage situations and goal-line opportunities since they debuted the play in 2022 behind then-center Jason Kelce.

Even with Kelce retired, the Eagles have found success following Hurts and new center Cam Jurgens. Hurts, who famously squatted 600 pounds while at Alabama, led all NFL quarterbacks with 14 rushing touchdowns during the regular season. He has four rushing touchdowns in the postseason.

The Eagles rushed 10 times on fourth-and-one during the regular season and converted on 90% of the attempts.

To Spagnuolo, the way to defend the infamous sneak is to not defend it at all.

“The best one I got is don’t let them get into third- and fourth-and one,” the four-time Super Bowl winning coach said.

If there’s any defensive front that could stop the play, the Chiefs are perhaps the most suited. Lineman Chris Jones, the Chiefs’ anchor in the middle, earned his third consecutive first-team All-Pro honor with five sacks, nine tackles for lost yardage and 20 quarterback hits.

They stopped 6-foot-5, 240-pound Bills quarterback Josh Allen three times on five quarterback sneak attempts during the AFC championship game. The Chiefs ranked eighth in the NFL during the regular season, allowing 101.8 yards rushing per game. Their 4.1 yards allowed per carry was tied for fourth-best in the league.

Copycats have attempted similar versions of the sneak, for instance the larger Allen lining up and getting a push on his attempts. The Baltimore Ravens have run a variation with tight end Mark Andrews as the ball carrier.

It’s different against the Eagles, who have a massive offensive line bookended by 6-foot-8, 365-pound left tackle Jordan Mailata and 6-6, 325-pound right tackle Lane Johnson. The play has been so effective that some have called for banning the unique formation.

“We’re successful at it because of the guys we have up front,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni told reporters at the team hotel Thursday.

The NFL has evaluated the play, amending it before this season. Players lined up behind the quarterback have to be at least one yard behind the teammate receiving the snap.

To Jones, the changes shouldn’t stop there.

“They need to make the game even for us,” Jones said sarcastically. “Yeah, ban the play.”

Many people from the Los Angeles area are thrilled with the blockbuster trade that made former Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic a member of the Lakers over the weekend.

Jacob Posner is not one of those people.

That’s because the Palisades Charter High School graduate is a diehard Mavericks fan — and he became one because of Doncic.

“When Luka came into the league and became a Mavs [player], I immediately was like, ‘That’s my guy and I wanna be a Mavs fan,’” Posner told CBS News Texas from a hotel room in Sicily, Italy, this week.

A 20-year-old Dartmouth student who is in Rome to learn Italian, Posner came up with an idea to help himself and other Mavericks express their frustration toward general manager Nico Harrison and the Adelson family, the team’s controlling owner.

“Our plan is to cover the area around the American Airlines Center … with protest billboards, letting the front office know that Dallas Deserves Better when it comes to team decisions,” Posner wrote on the GoFundMe page he started this week to raise money toward the cause.

“Trading away Luka Magic has left a deep void in the hearts of Dallas fans. By banding together for this billboard campaign, we’re sending a strong, undeniable message to the Mavs front office: We refuse to be overlooked, and we deserve better decisions.”

At 25, Doncic is considered one of the NBA’s best players. A five-time All-Star, he finished third in the league’s MVP voting last year and helped the Mavericks make the NBA Finals.

News broke late Saturday of the trade that sent Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to L.A. in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and the Lakers’ 2029 first-round draft pick (the Utah Jazz also received Jalen Hood-Schifino from the Lakers and second-round picks from L.A. and Dallas to facilitate the trade).

Harrison told reporters Tuesday that the team was looking to get “out ahead” of what might have been tough negotiations with Doncic this summer over a supermax extension that would have been worth nearly $350 million over five seasons. It also has been reported that the Mavericks had concerns over Doncic’s diet and conditioning.

Ultimately, Harrison said, the responsibility for the decision belongs with him. Posner and other fans want him to know that they’re not cool with it.

“Nico Harrison and the Adelson family have done the unthinkable — trading away our beloved Luka Doncic to the Lakers in exchange for an injury-riddled Anthony Davis and just one first-round pick,” Posner wrote. “One pick!!! As a huge Dallas Mavericks fan, I’m reeling from the shock, frustration, and sorrow this trade has brought to our community.”

Posner is asking Mavericks fans to submit designs for the billboards. He has created an Instagram account @dallasdeservesbetter (its bio simply reads, “Protesting the worst trade in history”) where he will post photos and updates as the project progresses.

As of late Thursday afternoon, the campaign had raised more than $37,000 toward Posner’s stated goal of $82,600, an amount he determined after researching the cost of renting billboards that are available around the arena. He wrote Thursday on GoFundMe that he’s working to get the first billboards up before the Mavericks’ next home game, Saturday against the Houston Rockets.

“Whatever amount we raise is going straight to billboards,” Posner wrote, “whether we come in short, meet it, or surpass it. One way or another, these billboards are happening.”

The most shocking trade in NBA history is still having ripple effects in the community less than a week later.

Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison undoubtedly hopes that isn’t the case for much longer, but for now, he might be preoccupied with things well beyond basketball — like his livelihood.

Since stunningly trading Luka Doncic to the Lakers early Sunday morning, Harrison has been on the receiving end of death threats by Mavericks fans, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported.

“Nico Harrison has been subjected to death threats,” McMahon noted ahead of the team’s Saturday home game at 3 p.m. against the Rockets.

Saturday will be the Mavericks’ first home game since Jan. 27, several days before the Doncic trade, which returned Anthony Davis, among others, to Dallas from Los Angeles.

“There have been racial epithets included in some of those, security is going to be beefed up. There will be protests outside, or at least those are planned,” McMahon added of the expected scene in Dallas this weekend.