Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel was unhappy with the officiating in his team’s playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
Vrabel will likely draw a fine from the NFL for the way he spoke about the officials after the Wild Card game. He seemed particularly upset that there was no flag thrown on Marcus Peters’ fourth-quarter interception, which helped seal the 20-13 win for Baltimore. Vrabel said an official told him Titans wide receiver Kalif Raymond ran into Peters, which is why there was no penalty.
Vrabel added that the refs were just hanging on, hoping to make it to another round. #Thatsgonnacostyou https://t.co/l30d1zBI03
— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) January 10, 2021
You can see the interception play below:
Marcus Peters gets the CLUTCH INT and Baltimore stomps on the Titans logo
(via @NFLBrasil) pic.twitter.com/sbydpwlgXA
— Overtime (@overtime) January 10, 2021
The officials let a lot go, which is nothing new for a playoff game. Vrabel shouldn’t be that upset because his team benefitted from a no-call on AJ Brown’s one-handed touchdown catch (video here) early in the game. The refs seemed intent on allowing players on both sides to be physical.
There’s another reason Vrabel has no right to complain: His decision to punt on 4th-and-2 at the Ravens’ 40-yard line midway through the fourth quarter may have cost Tennessee the game. You can read Vrabel’s explanation for that decision here.
