Inside The Vikings

Giants' Darius Muasau fined for tackle that injured Vikings' Jordan Addison

The NFL fined Muasau $4,696 for the hip-drop tackle.
Nolan O'Hara|
New York Giants linebacker Darius Muasau (53) reacts after an interception against the Minnesota Vikings during the second half at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Sept. 8, 2024.
New York Giants linebacker Darius Muasau (53) reacts after an interception against the Minnesota Vikings during the second half at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Sept. 8, 2024. | John Jones-Imagn Images

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The NFL fined New York Giants linebacker Darius Muasau $4,696 for his hip-drop tackle of Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison in the third quarter of their Week 1 matchup. Addison was injured on the play, and he has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Giants cornerback Adoree’ Jackson was also fined $9,804 for unnecessary roughness for a hip-drop tackle in the second quarter of the game. Neither Jackson nor Muasau's tackles were flagged.

This is the first season in which the hip-drop tackle has been banned. Hip-drop tackles are defined by the league as occurring "when a defender wraps up a ball carrier and rotates or swivels his hips, unweighting himself and dropping onto the ball carrier's legs during the tackle." They were banned as the NFL determined they cause lower extremity injuries at a rate 20 times higher than other tackles.

When called, hip-drop tackles result in a 15-yard penalty.

Muasau's hip-drop tackle of Addison occurred at 14:33 of the third quarter. Addison's legs appeared to get caught under Muasau, and he reinjured the ankle that bothered him during the preseason.

Jackson was fined for a hip-drop tackle of Vikings tight end Johnny Mundt with 1 minute, 3 seconds remaining in the second quarter. The play was mundane enough, but it appears the league deemed it a hip-drop tackle. Both fines were listed for the reason of "unnecessary roughness."

No Vikings players were fined for any reason in Week 1.

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Nolan O'Hara
NOLAN O'HARA

Nolan O'Hara covers all things Minnesota sports, primarily the Timberwolves, for Bring Me The News and Sports Illustrated's On SI network. He previously worked as a copy editor at the St. Paul Pioneer Press and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota's Hubbard School of Journalism. His work has appeared in the Pioneer Press, Ratchet & Wrench magazine, the Minnesota Daily and a number of local newspapers in Minnesota, among other publications.

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