static int netvsc_start_xmit(struct sk_buff *skb, struct net_device *net)
 {
        struct net_device_context *net_device_ctx = netdev_priv(net);
-       struct hv_netvsc_packet *packet;
+       struct hv_netvsc_packet *packet = NULL;
        int ret;
        unsigned int num_data_pgs;
        struct rndis_message *rndis_msg;
        num_data_pgs = netvsc_get_slots(skb) + 2;
        if (num_data_pgs > MAX_PAGE_BUFFER_COUNT) {
                netdev_err(net, "Packet too big: %u\n", skb->len);
-               dev_kfree_skb(skb);
-               net->stats.tx_dropped++;
-               return NETDEV_TX_OK;
+               ret = -EFAULT;
+               goto drop;
        }
 
        pkt_sz = sizeof(struct hv_netvsc_packet) + RNDIS_AND_PPI_SIZE;
                if (!packet) {
                        /* out of memory, drop packet */
                        netdev_err(net, "unable to alloc hv_netvsc_packet\n");
-                       dev_kfree_skb(skb);
-                       net->stats.tx_dropped++;
-                       return NETDEV_TX_OK;
+                       ret = -ENOMEM;
+                       goto drop;
                }
                packet->part_of_skb = false;
        } else {
                net->stats.tx_bytes += skb_length;
                net->stats.tx_packets++;
        } else {
-               if (!packet->part_of_skb)
+               if (packet && !packet->part_of_skb)
                        kfree(packet);
                if (ret != -EAGAIN) {
                        dev_kfree_skb_any(skb);