diff --git a/drivers/net/bnxt/bnxt_flow.c b/drivers/net/bnxt/bnxt_flow.c
index 4381cd7..59e55c3 100644
--- a/drivers/net/bnxt/bnxt_flow.c
+++ b/drivers/net/bnxt/bnxt_flow.c
@@ -1537,10 +1537,13 @@ struct bnxt_vnic_info *find_matching_vnic(struct bnxt *bp,
 	 * filter which points to the new destination queue and so we clear
 	 * the previous L2 filter. For ntuple filters, we are going to reuse
 	 * the old L2 filter and create new NTUPLE filter with this new
-	 * destination queue subsequently during bnxt_flow_create.
+	 * destination queue subsequently during bnxt_flow_create. So we
+	 * decrement the ref cnt of the L2 filter that would've been bumped
+	 * up previously in bnxt_validate_and_parse_flow as the old n-tuple
+	 * filter that was referencing it will be deleted now.
 	 */
+	bnxt_hwrm_clear_l2_filter(bp, old_filter);
 	if (new_filter->filter_type == HWRM_CFA_L2_FILTER) {
-		bnxt_hwrm_clear_l2_filter(bp, old_filter);
 		bnxt_hwrm_set_l2_filter(bp, new_filter->dst_id, new_filter);
 	} else {
 		if (new_filter->filter_type == HWRM_CFA_EM_FILTER)
@@ -1828,46 +1831,24 @@ static int bnxt_handle_tunnel_redirect_destroy(struct bnxt *bp,
 }
 
 static int
-bnxt_flow_destroy(struct rte_eth_dev *dev,
-		  struct rte_flow *flow,
-		  struct rte_flow_error *error)
+_bnxt_flow_destroy(struct bnxt *bp,
+		   struct rte_flow *flow,
+		    struct rte_flow_error *error)
 {
-	struct bnxt *bp = dev->data->dev_private;
 	struct bnxt_filter_info *filter;
 	struct bnxt_vnic_info *vnic;
 	int ret = 0;
 
-	bnxt_acquire_flow_lock(bp);
-	if (!flow) {
-		rte_flow_error_set(error, EINVAL,
-				   RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_HANDLE, NULL,
-				   "Invalid flow: failed to destroy flow.");
-		bnxt_release_flow_lock(bp);
-		return -EINVAL;
-	}
-
 	filter = flow->filter;
 	vnic = flow->vnic;
 
-	if (!filter) {
-		rte_flow_error_set(error, EINVAL,
-				   RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_HANDLE, NULL,
-				   "Invalid flow: failed to destroy flow.");
-		bnxt_release_flow_lock(bp);
-		return -EINVAL;
-	}
-
 	if (filter->filter_type == HWRM_CFA_TUNNEL_REDIRECT_FILTER &&
 	    filter->enables == filter->tunnel_type) {
-		ret = bnxt_handle_tunnel_redirect_destroy(bp,
-							  filter,
-							  error);
-		if (!ret) {
+		ret = bnxt_handle_tunnel_redirect_destroy(bp, filter, error);
+		if (!ret)
 			goto done;
-		} else {
-			bnxt_release_flow_lock(bp);
+		else
 			return ret;
-		}
 	}
 
 	ret = bnxt_match_filter(bp, filter);
@@ -1919,7 +1900,36 @@ static int bnxt_handle_tunnel_redirect_destroy(struct bnxt *bp,
 				   "Failed to destroy flow.");
 	}
 
+	return ret;
+}
+
+static int
+bnxt_flow_destroy(struct rte_eth_dev *dev,
+		  struct rte_flow *flow,
+		  struct rte_flow_error *error)
+{
+	struct bnxt *bp = dev->data->dev_private;
+	int ret = 0;
+
+	bnxt_acquire_flow_lock(bp);
+	if (!flow) {
+		rte_flow_error_set(error, EINVAL,
+				   RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_HANDLE, NULL,
+				   "Invalid flow: failed to destroy flow.");
+		bnxt_release_flow_lock(bp);
+		return -EINVAL;
+	}
+
+	if (!flow->filter) {
+		rte_flow_error_set(error, EINVAL,
+				   RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_HANDLE, NULL,
+				   "Invalid flow: failed to destroy flow.");
+		bnxt_release_flow_lock(bp);
+		return -EINVAL;
+	}
+	ret = _bnxt_flow_destroy(bp, flow, error);
 	bnxt_release_flow_lock(bp);
+
 	return ret;
 }
 
@@ -1927,7 +1937,6 @@ static int bnxt_handle_tunnel_redirect_destroy(struct bnxt *bp,
 bnxt_flow_flush(struct rte_eth_dev *dev, struct rte_flow_error *error)
 {
 	struct bnxt *bp = dev->data->dev_private;
-	struct bnxt_filter_info *filter = NULL;
 	struct bnxt_vnic_info *vnic;
 	struct rte_flow *flow;
 	unsigned int i;
@@ -1941,66 +1950,17 @@ static int bnxt_handle_tunnel_redirect_destroy(struct bnxt *bp,
 
 		while (!STAILQ_EMPTY(&vnic->flow_list)) {
 			flow = STAILQ_FIRST(&vnic->flow_list);
-			filter = flow->filter;
-
-			if (filter->filter_type ==
-			    HWRM_CFA_TUNNEL_REDIRECT_FILTER &&
-			    filter->enables == filter->tunnel_type) {
-				ret =
-				bnxt_handle_tunnel_redirect_destroy(bp,
-								    filter,
-								    error);
-				if (!ret) {
-					goto done;
-				} else {
-					bnxt_release_flow_lock(bp);
-					return ret;
-				}
-			}
-
-			if (filter->filter_type == HWRM_CFA_EM_FILTER)
-				ret = bnxt_hwrm_clear_em_filter(bp, filter);
-			if (filter->filter_type == HWRM_CFA_NTUPLE_FILTER)
-				ret = bnxt_hwrm_clear_ntuple_filter(bp, filter);
-			else if (i)
-				ret = bnxt_hwrm_clear_l2_filter(bp, filter);
 
-			if (ret) {
-				rte_flow_error_set
-					(error,
-					 -ret,
-					 RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_HANDLE,
-					 NULL,
-					 "Failed to flush flow in HW.");
-				bnxt_release_flow_lock(bp);
-				return -rte_errno;
-			}
-done:
-			STAILQ_REMOVE(&vnic->flow_list, flow,
-				      rte_flow, next);
-
-			STAILQ_REMOVE(&vnic->filter,
-				      filter,
-				      bnxt_filter_info,
-				      next);
-			bnxt_free_filter(bp, filter);
-
-			rte_free(flow);
+			if (!flow->filter)
+				continue;
 
-			/* If this was the last flow associated with this vnic,
-			 * switch the queue back to RSS pool.
-			 */
-			if (STAILQ_EMPTY(&vnic->flow_list)) {
-				rte_free(vnic->fw_grp_ids);
-				if (vnic->rx_queue_cnt > 1)
-					bnxt_hwrm_vnic_ctx_free(bp, vnic);
-				bnxt_hwrm_vnic_free(bp, vnic);
-				vnic->rx_queue_cnt = 0;
-			}
+			ret = _bnxt_flow_destroy(bp, flow, error);
+			if (ret)
+				break;
 		}
 	}
-
 	bnxt_release_flow_lock(bp);
+
 	return ret;
 }
 
