The Tennessee Titans needed a huge defensive play to finish off a tough win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, and they appeared to get a major assist from the officiating crew.
Clinging to a 33-30 lead with 52 seconds remaining, the Titans got pressure on Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew and forced him into a bad throw that was batted at the line of scrimmage and intercepted. That sealed the win for Tennessee, but there was one problem — Jadeveon Clowney should have been flagged for lining up offsides.
So Clowney was way offsides at the snap on the #Titans game-clinching defensive play. pic.twitter.com/Wafe5oRgEZ
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) September 20, 2020
Here’s a video of the play:
GAME SAVER @HaroldLandry! #JAXvsTEN pic.twitter.com/ZnDBa7nU10
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) September 20, 2020
There’s no way of knowing if that would have changed the outcome of the game. However, the Jags definitely deserved a first down and another shot. Clowney was clearly lined up in the neutral zone.
That certainly wasn’t the first time we’ve seen NFL refs miss an offsides call at a crucial point in a game. The league will be hearing from the Jaguars about that play, and rightfully so.
