One of the major stories of the offseason was the NFL’s decision to eliminate the hip-drop tackle, a maneuver deemed dangerous due to its association with serious injuries.
However, the challenge lies in the difficulty officials face in recognizing hip-drop tackles during live action. There have been instances where plays that looked like hip-drop tackles were not penalized. For example, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen felt he was subjected to such a tackle in Week 1 and protested to the officials, but no penalty was called. Similarly, Cincinnati Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase expressed his frustration with the officials after a tackle led to a 15-yard penalty, possibly related to an uncalled hip-drop tackle. Chase did not comment following the Bengals’ defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs.
A notable incident occurred during a game where Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon was injured in a 19-13 win against the Chicago Bears. Mixon was taken down in a manner that resembled the hip-drop tackle that the NFL aimed to penalize this season. Chicago Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards brought Mixon down while his foot was pinned beneath him, appearing to execute a textbook hip-drop tackle. Mixon limped off the field and was taken to the locker room, but no flag was thrown for the play.
Fortunately for Mixon, he returned to the game shortly after, and the injury sustained was not severe. Following the game, he took to social media to express his discontent, indicating that he and the referee had a disagreement over the nature of the tackle despite the NFL’s emphasis on this issue in the offseason. “Time to put your money where your mouth is,” Mixon tweeted.
In his tweet, he recounted asking the referee about the absence of a flag for what he believed was a hip-drop tackle, to which the official responded that it was not.
It’s challenging to view the play and not conclude it involved the prohibited hip-drop tackle, as both NBC announcers during the Sunday night broadcast shared that sentiment. NBC’s color analyst Cris Collinsworth noted the characteristics of the tackle, while play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico enumerated the key elements that constitute a hip-drop tackle and acknowledged how difficult it is for officials to make such calls in real-time. Nonetheless, he emphasized that it could be subject to fines later in the week.
While recognizing the complexities of identifying a hip-drop tackle under the fast pace of a game, it’s crucial for officials to be able to detect it when it occurs. Addressing this issue could contribute to preventing future injuries, aligning with the NFL’s original intent behind banning the maneuver.