diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbevf/ixgbevf.h b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbevf/ixgbevf.h
index eb26fda63c99c3f5d5a1b740494cc7a916cda7bb..383b4e1cd17532682c9dfc087d7d9a08a969b81a 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbevf/ixgbevf.h
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbevf/ixgbevf.h
@@ -261,6 +261,11 @@ enum ixbgevf_state_t {
 	__IXGBEVF_DOWN
 };
 
+struct ixgbevf_cb {
+	struct sk_buff *prev;
+};
+#define IXGBE_CB(skb) ((struct ixgbevf_cb *)(skb)->cb)
+
 enum ixgbevf_boards {
 	board_82599_vf,
 	board_X540_vf,
diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbevf/ixgbevf_main.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbevf/ixgbevf_main.c
index 37bbd86529e34e9d2317beb842db1d8c2734bf96..2ba15ae2335cb3215da5f62aef897bc51b6a2bc4 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbevf/ixgbevf_main.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbevf/ixgbevf_main.c
@@ -433,11 +433,21 @@ static bool ixgbevf_clean_rx_irq(struct ixgbevf_q_vector *q_vector,
 
 		if (!(staterr & IXGBE_RXD_STAT_EOP)) {
 			skb->next = next_buffer->skb;
-			skb->next->prev = skb;
+			IXGBE_CB(skb->next)->prev = skb;
 			adapter->non_eop_descs++;
 			goto next_desc;
 		}
 
+		/* we should not be chaining buffers, if we did drop the skb */
+		if (IXGBE_CB(skb)->prev) {
+			do {
+				struct sk_buff *this = skb;
+				skb = IXGBE_CB(skb)->prev;
+				dev_kfree_skb(this);
+			} while (skb);
+			goto next_desc;
+		}
+
 		/* ERR_MASK will only have valid bits if EOP set */
 		if (unlikely(staterr & IXGBE_RXDADV_ERR_FRAME_ERR_MASK)) {
 			dev_kfree_skb_irq(skb);
@@ -1439,7 +1449,7 @@ static void ixgbevf_clean_rx_ring(struct ixgbevf_adapter *adapter,
 			rx_buffer_info->skb = NULL;
 			do {
 				struct sk_buff *this = skb;
-				skb = skb->prev;
+				skb = IXGBE_CB(skb)->prev;
 				dev_kfree_skb(this);
 			} while (skb);
 		}