The Tennessee Titans took on more than the Minnesota Vikings during Week 11, as they took on the officials as well.
The Titans did not pay attention to detail and played a sloppy game overall, but some of the 13 penalties and 93 penalty yards were questionable at best. In fact, every Vikings touchdown drive was influenced mightily by the officials and their objectively incorrect calls.
No call was more egregious than the fourth-down unnecessary roughness call on Mike Brown in the end zone. Not only did it allow the Vikings to get a new set of downs and eventually a touchdown, but it caused outrage throughout the fan base and again brought the officiating debacle into the spotlight,
Titans got a penalty for hitting a guy too hard.
Brutal beat.
This was a clean play, on 4th and goal, penalty cost them 7 points.pic.twitter.com/RbN8q8BMiC
— Sam Monson (@SamMonsonNFL) November 17, 2024
As the replay showed, Brown made a tremendous and legal play to separate the ball from Jordan Addison. He did not launch himself into the receiver. He made a clean defensive play. It is understandable that the officials approach the game with caution, but in a play of this magnitude, one has to ask if the officials have a complete understanding of the rules of the game.
For head referee Clete Blakeman, who clearly does not understand the rule, here it is.
Article 9, Section b, Subsection 3 of the 2024 NFL Rulebook defines the term: “It is an illegal launch if a player (i) leaves one or both feet prior to contact to spring forward and upward into his opponent, and (ii) uses any part of his helmet to initiate forcible contact against any part of his opponent’s body.”
Brown did not launch himself at Addison or initiate contact with his helmet. It was a terrible call, and to make things worse for fans, Blakeman doubled down on his interpretation of the rule during a post-game press availability.
Explanation from Clete Blakeman on today’s unnecessary roughness penalty against Mike Brown, the repeat illegal formation penalties on the #Titans from my pool report. pic.twitter.com/9Y4HEOtUn6
— Nick Suss (@nicksuss) November 17, 2024
The NFL is a multi-billion dollar entity and should have better officials across the league or a transparent grading system that holds officials accountable for making improper game-changing calls. Today, Titans fans are upset, but this is not just a Titans problem; it is a huge blunder for the league because these signs of incompetence occur every week.
The Titans were sloppy and could have played better, but their fate was in the hands of an officiating crew that clearly needed extra training and a better understanding of the rulebook.