Ravens Linebacker Fined For Tackle That Injured Bucs WR Chris Godwin

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are without wideout Chris Godwin for the rest of the year, and Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith is being fined for the play Godwin was injured.

Oct 21, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin (14) is carted off the field against the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are now without their best offensive player in 2024, and a Baltimore Ravens linebacker is being fined for a tackle that may have caused it.

Bucs wideout Chris Godwin suffered a dislocated ankle against the Ravens in the dying embers of the game on Monday night after being tackled by Roquan Smith. There was question after the game on whether or not Smith used what the NFL calls a "hip-drop tackle", a tackle where the defender rotates his hips to bring down a ball carrier on top of their own legs. When asked about this after the game, Smith told Ravens media that he did not intend to injure Godwin.

“I never go into any game meaning to injure any player," Smith said. "I want every player to go back home safe and sound to their family — maybe a little sore."

As it turns out, the NFL did consider Smith's tackle a hip-drop tackle, and he's getting fined for it. Per ESPN's Jenna Laine, that fine will amount to $16,833.

A league source tells me this morning that the tackle on Chris Godwin that resulted in his dislocated left ankle was a hip drop tackle and Roquan Smith will be fined. The fine amount is $16,833.
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) October 25, 2024

There have been nine hip-drop tackles this year in the NFL that have resulted in a fine. None of them have resulted in a penalty on the field of play.

The Bucs won't have Chris Godwin anymore, and they'll also be without wideout Mike Evans until after the team's Week 11 bye week at the very least. Until then, the Bucs will have to rely on wideouts Jalen McMillan, Trey Palmer and Sterling Shepard while they face an uphill battle against the Atlanta Falcons in a crucial division matchup on Sunday.

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