Titans screwed by costly unnecessary roughness call in end zone

The Tennessee Titans came up with what should have been a huge goal-line stand in their game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, but they were screwed by a bad call in the end zone.

Minnesota was leading 7-3 and had 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line midway through the second quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell chose to go for it, and Sam Darnold threw an incomplete pass that was intended for Jordan Addison.

Addison was unable to make the catch because he was hit hard by Titans safety Mike Brown. The official who was closest to the play immediately threw a flag and called unnecessary roughness on Brown, which awarded the Vikings 1st-and-goal inside the 1.

Titans head coach Brian Callahan was absolutely IRATE after this unnecessary roughness call in the endzone

Callahan was then flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct pic.twitter.com/T4efCW2W1X

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) November 17, 2024

Replays clearly showed that Brown hit Addison in the chest and did not make any contact with the receiver’s head:

unneccesary roughness penalty on Titans on Addison, he hit him in the chest… pic.twitter.com/2hdFfPM0pq

— Tedd Buddwell (@TedBuddy8) November 17, 2024

Titans head coach Brian Callahan was furious, and you can understand why. He ended up being called for unsportsmanlike conduct for arguing with the officiating crew.

Darnold scored a rushing touchdown on the next play and the Vikings took a 13-3 lead.

CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore said the official may have seen Brown leave his feet and launch himself. Still, that should not have been a penalty.

The NFL has had many issues with unnecessary roughness penalties this season. In a situation like the one in Tennessee, replay assist should be able to get involved to quickly correct the officiating mistake. The Titans should have come away with a crucial stop, but Minnesota was essentially handed a free touchdown instead.