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In an intense Sunday Night Football encounter, the Houston Texans managed to beat the Chicago Bears 19-13. There was a lot of contact throughout the game which resulted in defenders colliding with the respective offensive players a number of times.
As some of you may recall, there was a painful moment when Cincinnati Bengals title-holder Joe Mixon was taken down by Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards, causing Mixon to injure his ankle. That’s when many fans as well as analysts argued that the tackle appeared to be a “hip-drop” which is quite a risky move that the NFL is out to eradicate.
Despite taking some time away, Mixon managed to return to the match, though he looked very annoyed. The reason why hip-drop tackles are banned in the NFL is because they create a high risk of injuries. This time, however, Edwards did not get a penalty for his actions during the game but the league has decided that they are going to look more closely into this play.
Mixon Slams NFL
After the final whistle, Mixon did not hold his emotions in and instead vented on his social media where he criticized the NFL for ignoring the rules on hip-drop tackles. This, he explained, highlighted the league’s failure to snuff out this tackle in an effective manner.
“You want to protect players, if there is a rule, enforce the rule,” tweeted Mixon after the game, which made it evident that he is not satisfied with the current state of affairs. The discontent regarding hip-drop tackles and the concern over their introduction in the game is increasing, especially, as those kinds of hits cause injuries like Mixon’s.
There is a growing crying taking place and other players, fans, and coaches have had enough of it, the NFL needs to deal with this issue as fans, players and coaches are all vocal about it. Any disciplinary action against Edwards will most probably lead to a fine but this case may establish a very important precedent concerning the way the league will treat similar tackles in the years to come.
English (US)