diff --git a/arch/arm/src/samv7/sam_emac.c b/arch/arm/src/samv7/sam_emac.c
index f30b618a7a..3cad26a493 100644
--- a/arch/arm/src/samv7/sam_emac.c
+++ b/arch/arm/src/samv7/sam_emac.c
@@ -1873,9 +1873,23 @@ static int sam_recvframe(struct sam_emac_s *priv, int qid)
                              (uintptr_t)rxdesc + sizeof(struct emac_rxdesc_s));
     }
 
-  /* No packet was found */
+  /* isframe indicates that we have found a SOF. If we've received a SOF, but not
+   * an EOF in the sequential buffers we own, it must mean that we have a partial
+   * packet. This should only happen if there was a Buffer Not Available (BNA) error.
+   * When bursts of data come in, quickly filling the available buffers, before our
+   * interrupts can even service them. Eventually, the ring buffer loops back on
+   * itself and the peripheral sees it cannot write the next fragment of the packet.
+   *
+   * In this case, we keep the rxndx at the start of the last frame, since the peripheral
+   * will finish writing the packet there next.
+   *
+   */
+
+  if (!isframe)
+    {
+      xfrq->rxndx = rxndx;
+    }
 
-  xfrq->rxndx = rxndx;
   ninfo("Exit rxndx[%d]: %d\n", qid, xfrq->rxndx);
   return -EAGAIN;
 }