One season removed from making it to the Super Bowl, the New England Patriots have their season on life support before Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, now that quarterback Drake Maye is injured, it looks like things are going sideways.
The injury occurred during the first drive of the Patriots’ game in Munich, Germany, against the Detroit Lions. Aidan Hutchinson sacked Maye, taking him down in an apparent hip-drop tackle. Maye injured his ankle on the play and would be sidelined for the rest of the game. His status moving forward is in doubt. Notably, Hutchinson injured himself celebrating the sack.
NO FLAG FROM THE REFS.
ABSOLUTELY INSANE.
😳😳😳
Hip-drop tackles have become a big conversation among fans in recent years. They come when a player tackles someone from behind, falling on their legs. It can be a very dangerous play, often leading to massive injuries. Rules have also been instituted to legislate the hit out of the game, but it’s rarely flagged and wasn’t in this instance.
NFL Rules Expert Defends Hip-Drop Tackle on New England Patriots QB Drake Maye
Once Patriots QB Drake Maye was formally ruled out, the broadcast went back to discuss the hit. There, analyst Greg Olsen felt like it was a hip-drop tackle that went without a flag but could draw a fine.
Rules expert Mike Pereira chimed in at that point. He disagreed. In fact, he didn’t believe it fit the definition of a hip-drop tackle at all.
“There is [a lot of conversation], but it’s not a hip-drop,” Pereira said on the FOX broadcast. “Three things have to happen. You have to unweight yourself, swivel all around the back, and land on the back of his legs below the knee.”
It was undeniably an awkward tackle. Pereira noted that, too, comparing it to a horse collar tackle, which is against the rules for being dangerous as well. However, it also didn’t quite fit that definition.
“This was more of a horse collar type, pulled down from behind,” Pereira said. “But not a horse collar.”
Patriots fans likely won’t agree with that assessment from Pereira. However, by the letter of the law, he’s right. It’s not a hip-drop tackle. Unfortunately, the result is that Maye was injured, and that injury has the ability to completely derail the season.
Former NFL Doctor on Injury to Patriots QB Drake Maye
As is often the case, in the wake of the injury, several people came out to try and quickly diagnose Maye from a distance. That included one former NFL doctor, David J. Chao.
According to Chao, Maye suffered a high-ankle sprain. He estimates it’s a mild injury, which would probably be best case scenario for the Patriots.
“By video, mild right high ankle sprain,” Chao wrote. He also noted that the ankle was “caught at end of tackle.”
Different people can put different amounts of stock into that kind of doctor assessment. After all, he’s watching replays, just like fans at home. He hasn’t examined Maye’s ankle, which would give him a much more honest assessment of the injury, as well as the severity of that injury.
Regardless, the Patriots need Maye if they want to bounce back and make a push for the playoffs. Without him, the offense clearly doesn’t function.
NFL Rules Expert Defends Hip-Drop Tackle That Injured Patriots QB Drake Maye