The NFL has determined that Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin suffered a season-ending injury on an illegal tackle.
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith has been fined $16,833 for what the NFL determined was a hip-drop tackle on Godwin late in Monday night’s game.
Godwin caught a pass for a big gain with less than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter of the Ravens’ 41-31 win over the Bucs at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. His left leg got caught underneath him as Smith made the tackle:
NFL fined Ravens LB Roquan Smith $16,833 for the hit it believed to be a hip-drop tackle that dislocated Chris Godwin’s ankle. pic.twitter.com/Eg1eAwOen8
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 25, 2024
Godwin was left with a dislocated ankle. He underwent surgery on Wednesday and will miss the remainder of the year.
A hip-drop tackle is defined as “when a defender wraps up a ball carrier and rotates or swivels his hips, unweighting himself and dropping onto ball carrier’s legs during the tackle.” The play was banned this season and can result in a 15-yard penalty, though the NFL is mostly handing out fines for now.
Houston Texans star Joe Mixon expressed outrage earlier this season over a similar tackle that left him with an ankle injury. Though, that play looked far more egregious than what Smith did. Either way, the NFL felt Smith’s tackle met the criteria for an illegal hip-drop.
