No penalty flags were thrown for hip-drop tackles in Week One of the NFL season, but two Giants defenders were fined for violating the new ban on the move.
Cornerback Adoree’ Jackson was fined $9,804 for a tackle on Vikings tight end Johnny Mundt and linebacker Darius Muasau was fined $4,696 for a tackle on wide receiver Jordan Addison. Addison left the game with an ankle injury and he will not play this weekend.
The NFL’s enforcement of the ban is expected to be mainly done through fines rather than in-game penalties because the play has multiple elements that must be present to be worthy of punishment and that’s difficult for on-field officials to ascertain.
It looked like Jets cornerback Michael Carter might have used the hip-drop technique on a tackle that briefly knocked 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings out of last Monday night’s game, but Carter was not fined by the league.
