The Tennessee Titans are not in a position to be on the short end of officiating blunders, but it appears as though the refs had it out for them in what could be a possible season-ending game against Sam Darnold and a contending Minnesota Vikings team.
Despite some hiccups early on, the defense managed to hold serve against Justin Jefferson and a very potent offense. What should have been the best play of the day for Tennessee turned into a nightmare thanks to the zebras.
The Titans seemingly held strong on what was to be a dominant goal-line stand, forcing an incomplete pass from Darnold and getting the ball back. Unfortunately, an unnecessary roughness call on safety Mike Brown (filling in for Quandre Diggs) negated the play and gave Minnesota a new set of downs.
Callahan was as mad as he has ever been since taking over tihe Titans, especially because Darnold put Minnesota up 13-3 by plunging it in from one yard out. There's no way to put it other than the Titans were victims of some truly rotten luck.
The #Titans were called for unnecessary roughness on this 4th down play after making a stop.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) November 17, 2024
Officially, this is a clean hit. Brian Callahan was furious on the sideline, and he got penalized himself.
Unfortunate stuff like this can’t be fixed. pic.twitter.com/DOm35peCM5
Titans' Brian Callahan goes nuts after goal-line stand ruined by horrendous officiating
Facing a ferocious defense that is known to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks, volatile young QB Will Levis has looked the part so far. While he has made a few impressive throws down the field, it hasn't been enough to keep the Titans within striking distance of a Vikings team that can pile up the points quickly.
The Titans could find it tough to claw their way out of this hole. Not only will they need to stop a Vikings offense that now has momentum after being handed a free touchdown by the officials, but Tennessee themselves will need to somehow rip off consistent big plays against one of the best defenses in the league.
Callahan has every right to lose his mind at that call. While it can often look silly to constantly decry the lack of old-school contact in the modern NFL, taking a fourth-down stand away from the Titans thanks to a perfectly clean hit like that is the height of officiating lunacy.