The tackle that ended Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard’s season is under review and could potentially lead to a rule change.
The NFL’s Competition Committee will review the “mechanics of the tackle in Pollard’s case,” the Washington Post reported on Saturday. Pollard suffered a broken left fibula and high ankle sprain in Dallas’ 19-12 loss against the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs last week.
With 1:24 left to play in the first half, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott threw a checkdown pass to Pollard in the middle of the field. As Pollard tried to escape 49ers defensive back Jimmie Ward, he had his left foot caught underneath Ward’s weight as Ward brought him to the turf.
Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a high ankle sprain after Jacksonville linebacker Arden Key used a similar “hip-drop” tackle in the Chiefs’ 27-20 divisional round playoff win against the Jaguars. Mahomes returned in the second half and plans to play through his injury in the AFC title game against the Bengals on Sunday.
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Under the current rules, both tackles were deemed legal. No flags were thrown on the plays. But as league representatives and committee members gather in the offseason to improve player safety, that could change moving forward.
Australia’s National Rugby League banned the “hip-drop” tackle, the Post notes, after the league “saw an increased occurrence of these types of tackles, some of which resulted in serious injuries to attacking players including a broken ankle, ACL tear and many high-ankle sprains.”
Contributing: Lorenzo Reyes
