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Which 49ers defensive players could stop Eagles' ‘Tush Push' play

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The Philadelphia Eagles and their signature play -- the "Tush Push," "Brotherly Shove" or whatever you'd like to call it -- have been the talk of the NFL this season.

But which 49ers defensive player would be best at stopping the short-yardage QB dive? NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco and Greg Papa discussed just that in the latest "Ask Papa" segment on "49ers Talk."

Maiocco jokingly said it'd be best to keep Nick Bosa out of "harm's way," but luckily, San Francisco has plenty of capable defenders up front.

"You want [Arik] Armstead and [Javon] Hargrave," Maiocco said of whom he'd want to line up opposite the Eagles' guards and center Jason Kelce. "[Kevin] Givens because of the leverage."

Kelce facing off against Armstead and Hargave on the inside of such a scrum certainly will be must-watch TV, if the play and this game already weren't. The 49ers have been hard at work all week preparing for the Eagles, and naturally, the "Tush Push" play has been brought up often in questions.

Hargrave, who played for Philadelphia last season before joining San Francisco in free agency this year, told reporters "I wish" when asked if he knew how to stop the play, which features Jalen Hurts lining up behind Kelce for a quarterback sneak with two teammates also pushing from behind, rather than driving forward by himself.

Kyle Shanahan, though, offered a perfect solution to the nearly unstoppable play.

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"I know it's possible to stop, but it's proven that it's extremely hard," the 49ers coach said this week. "So, you try to keep them out of those situations."

The 49ers will look to keep the Eagles' "Brotherly Shove" at bay during their Week 13 game Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field, with kickoff set for 1:25 p.m. PT. Fans can watch "49ers Pregame Live" at noon and "49ers Postgame Live" immediately after the game on NBC Sports Bay Area.

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