diff --git a/libraries/networking/src/SequenceNumberStats.cpp b/libraries/networking/src/SequenceNumberStats.cpp
index 00a3e66877..a700e01f07 100644
--- a/libraries/networking/src/SequenceNumberStats.cpp
+++ b/libraries/networking/src/SequenceNumberStats.cpp
@@ -13,22 +13,67 @@
 
 #include <limits>
 
-SequenceNumberStats::SequenceNumberStats(int statsHistoryLength)
+SequenceNumberStats::SequenceNumberStats(int statsHistoryLength, int maxRecursion)
     : _received(0),
     _lastReceivedSequence(0),
     _missingSet(),
     _stats(),
     _lastSenderUUID(),
-    _statsHistory(statsHistoryLength)
+    _statsHistory(statsHistoryLength),
+
+    _unreasonableTracker(NULL),
+    _maxRecursion(maxRecursion)
 {
 }
 
+SequenceNumberStats::SequenceNumberStats(const SequenceNumberStats& other)
+    : _received(other._received),
+    _lastReceivedSequence(other._lastReceivedSequence),
+    _missingSet(other._missingSet),
+    _stats(other._stats),
+    _lastSenderUUID(other._lastSenderUUID),
+    _statsHistory(other._statsHistory),
+    _unreasonableTracker(NULL),
+    _maxRecursion(other._maxRecursion)
+{
+    if (other._unreasonableTracker) {
+        _unreasonableTracker = new SequenceNumberStats(*other._unreasonableTracker);
+    }
+}
+
+SequenceNumberStats& SequenceNumberStats::operator=(const SequenceNumberStats& rhs) {
+    _received = rhs._received;
+    _lastReceivedSequence = rhs._lastReceivedSequence;
+    _missingSet = rhs._missingSet;
+    _stats = rhs._stats;
+    _lastSenderUUID = rhs._lastSenderUUID;
+    _statsHistory = rhs._statsHistory;
+    _maxRecursion = rhs._maxRecursion;
+
+    if (rhs._unreasonableTracker) {
+        _unreasonableTracker = new SequenceNumberStats(*rhs._unreasonableTracker);
+    } else {
+        _unreasonableTracker = NULL;
+    }
+    return *this;
+}
+
+SequenceNumberStats::~SequenceNumberStats() {
+    if (_unreasonableTracker) {
+        delete _unreasonableTracker;
+    }
+}
+
 void SequenceNumberStats::reset() {
     _received = 0;
     _missingSet.clear();
     _stats = PacketStreamStats();
     _lastSenderUUID = QUuid();
     _statsHistory.clear();
+
+    if (_unreasonableTracker) {
+        delete _unreasonableTracker;
+    }
 }
 
 static const int UINT16_RANGE = std::numeric_limits<uint16_t>::max() + 1;
@@ -78,10 +123,64 @@ SequenceNumberStats::ArrivalInfo SequenceNumberStats::sequenceNumberReceived(qui
         } else if (absGap > MAX_REASONABLE_SEQUENCE_GAP) {
             arrivalInfo._status = Unreasonable;
 
+            /*
             // ignore packet if gap is unreasonable
             qDebug() << "ignoring unreasonable sequence number:" << incoming
                 << "previous:" << _lastReceivedSequence;
             _stats._unreasonable++;
+            */
+
+            // do not create a child tracker for unreasonable seq nums if this instance is the last one in the chain.
+            // otherwise, create one if we don't have one.
+
+            if (!_unreasonableTracker && _maxRecursion > 0) {
+                _unreasonableTracker = new SequenceNumberStats(0, _maxRecursion - 1);
+            }
+
+
+            if (_unreasonableTracker) {
+
+                // track this unreasonable seq number with our _unreasonableTracker.
+                ArrivalInfo unreasonableTrackerArrivalInfo = _unreasonableTracker->sequenceNumberReceived(incoming);
+                
+
+                const int UNREASONABLE_TRACKER_RECEIVED_THRESHOLD = 10;
+                const float UNRUNREASONABLE_TRACKER_UNREASONABLE_RATE_THRESHOLD = 0.1f;
+                const float UNREASONABLE_TRACKER_OUT_OF_ORDER_RATE_THRESHOLD = 0.1f;
+                
+                // when our _unreasonableTracker has received enough seq nums and doesn't have an _unreasonableTracker of its own,
+                // we'll either inherit its state only if we think its stream is plausible.  it will then be deleted.
+                // (if it has an _unreasonableTracker of its own, its _unreasonableTracker may be detecting a plausible stream
+                // while its parent does not, so we should let it accrue seq nums and decide plausibility first)
+
+                if (!_unreasonableTracker->hasUnreasonableTracker() &&
+                    _unreasonableTracker->_received >= UNREASONABLE_TRACKER_RECEIVED_THRESHOLD) {
+
+                    if (_unreasonableTracker->getUnreasonableRate() < UNRUNREASONABLE_TRACKER_UNREASONABLE_RATE_THRESHOLD &&
+                        _unreasonableTracker->getStats().getOutOfOrderRate() < UNREASONABLE_TRACKER_OUT_OF_ORDER_RATE_THRESHOLD) {
+
+                        // the _unreasonableTracker has detected a plausible stream of seq numbers;
+                        // copy its state to this tracker.
+
+                        _received = _unreasonableTracker->_received;
+                        _lastReceivedSequence = _unreasonableTracker->_lastReceivedSequence;
+                        _missingSet = _unreasonableTracker->_missingSet;
+                        _stats = _unreasonableTracker->_stats;
+
+                        // don't copy _lastSenderUUID; _unreasonableTracker always has null UUID for that member.
+                        // ours should be up-to-date.
+
+                        // don't copy _statsHistory; _unreasonableTracker keeps a history of length 0.
+                        // simply clear ours.
+                        _statsHistory.clear();
+
+                        arrivalInfo = unreasonableTrackerArrivalInfo;
+
+                    }
+                    // remove our _unreasonableTracker
+                    delete _unreasonableTracker;
+                }
+            }
 
             return arrivalInfo;
         }
diff --git a/libraries/networking/src/SequenceNumberStats.h b/libraries/networking/src/SequenceNumberStats.h
index d611a494ad..1f740d7af8 100644
--- a/libraries/networking/src/SequenceNumberStats.h
+++ b/libraries/networking/src/SequenceNumberStats.h
@@ -18,6 +18,10 @@
 
 const int MAX_REASONABLE_SEQUENCE_GAP = 1000;
 
+
+const int DEFAULT_MAX_RECURSION = 5;
+
+
 class PacketStreamStats {
 public:
     PacketStreamStats()
@@ -30,7 +34,7 @@ public:
         _duplicate(0)
     {}
 
-    float getUnreasonableRate() const { return (float)_unreasonable / _expectedReceived; }
+    float getOutOfOrderRate() const { return (float)(_early + _late) / _expectedReceived; }
     float getEaryRate() const { return (float)_early / _expectedReceived; }
     float getLateRate() const { return (float)_late / _expectedReceived; }
     float getLostRate() const { return (float)_lost / _expectedReceived; }
@@ -61,14 +65,19 @@ public:
     };
 
 
-    SequenceNumberStats(int statsHistoryLength = 0);
+    SequenceNumberStats(int statsHistoryLength = 0, int maxRecursion = DEFAULT_MAX_RECURSION);
+    SequenceNumberStats(const SequenceNumberStats& other);
+    SequenceNumberStats& operator=(const SequenceNumberStats& rhs);
+    ~SequenceNumberStats();
 
+public:
     void reset();
     ArrivalInfo sequenceNumberReceived(quint16 incoming, QUuid senderUUID = QUuid(), const bool wantExtraDebugging = false);
     void pruneMissingSet(const bool wantExtraDebugging = false);
     void pushStatsToHistory() { _statsHistory.insert(_stats); }
 
     quint32 getReceived() const { return _received; }
+    float getUnreasonableRate() const { return _stats._unreasonable / _received; }
 
     quint32 getExpectedReceived() const { return _stats._expectedReceived; }
     quint32 getUnreasonable() const { return _stats._unreasonable; }
@@ -94,6 +103,14 @@ private:
     QUuid _lastSenderUUID;
 
     RingBufferHistory<PacketStreamStats> _statsHistory;
+
+
+    // to deal with the incoming seq nums going out of sync with this tracker, we'll create another instance
+    // of this class when we encounter an unreasonable 
+    SequenceNumberStats* _unreasonableTracker;
+    int _maxRecursion;
+
+    bool hasUnreasonableTracker() const { return _unreasonableTracker != NULL; }
 };
 
 #endif // hifi_SequenceNumberStats_h