For anyone watching the Week 8 game between the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants, the gruesome injury suffered by rookie running back Cam Skattebo in the first half will be impossible to forget.
The repercussions from Skattebo’s injury will also be hard to shake.
For the Giants, it almost certainly puts the final nail in the coffin of their playoff hopes after they dropped to 2-6 with a 38-20 loss to the Eagles.
Skattebo was quickly becoming one of the team’s offensive centerpieces alongside rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart after the Giants already lost superstar wide receiver Malik Nabers to a torn ACL in Week 4.
For the Eagles, it could mean a significant punishment for one of their star defensive players for his role in Skattebo’s injury — and a lifetime of vitriol from Giants fans for NFL All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun, who executed an illegal hip drop tackle on Skattebo.
“Baun’s move appeared to be a hip drop tackle, but it wasn’t called on the field,” Heavy.com’s Anne Erickson wrote on October 26. ” … The injury happened during a pass attempt in the second quarter of the game. During the play, Skattebo’s right leg was pinned and twisted under him in an awful way following the hit from Baun.”
Hip Drop Tackle Banned by NFL in 2024
The hip drop tackle was banned by the NFL in March 2024 with the hopes of preventing injuries exactly like the one sustained by Skattebo. That means Baun could be facing a significant fine.
From NFL.com: “A hip-drop tackle occurs when a defender wraps up a ball carrier and rotates or swivels his hips, unweighting himself and dropping onto ball carrier’s legs during the tackle.”
Hip drop tackles, when flagged, result in a 15-yard penalty and automatic first down. Fines for a hip drop tackle are $17,389 for a first offense and $23,816 for a second offense.
Baun has previously been fined for a hip drop tackle, getting clipped for $8,888 for a hip drop tackle against the Washington Commanders in December 2024.
In 2024, Baun came out of nowhere to become one of the NFL’s best defensive players after he signed a 1-year, $1.6 million contract with the Eagles.
He earned NFL All-Pro honors for the first time, helped lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl win and parlayed all of that into a 3-year, $51 million contract in March.
Skattebo’s Injury Leaves NFL Fans Reeling
Skattebo’s injury was so disturbing the Fox Sports broadcast quickly cut away to a commercial break and did not show replays of the injury when they came back.
“It has taken all of the air out of what is typically a really raucous atmosphere,” Fox Sports play by play analyst Kevin Harlan said following the injury. “Just a devastating and tough scene challenging the Giants moving forward.”
Eagles fans — not the most welcoming group of people to opposing players — gave Skattebo a standing ovation as he was carted off the field to the locker room.
“Very classy from Eagles fans, giving Cam Skattebo a standing ovation as he has taken off on a cart to the locker room after a gruesome injury,” NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark wrote on his official X account. “He gave a thumbs up to the crowd.”
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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