The Tennessee Titans came up with a fourth-down stop in the end zone on Sunday that appeared to halt a Minnesota Vikings scoring drive.
But officials threw a flag on a hard, clean hit by Titans safety Mike Brown that extended the drive and allowed the Vikings to score a touchdown. Titans head coach Brian Callahan had to be held back as he gave officials an earful for the call.
The play took place midway through the second quarter as Minnesota held a 7-3 lead. Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold looked to receiver Jordan Addison in traffic in the end zone on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line.
As the ball arrived, Brown hit Addison hard in the chest, dislodging the ball to secure the would-be stop for what would have been a turnover on downs. But officials flagged Brown for unnecessary roughness on the hit.
Brown did not make contact with Addison’s head on the play, nor did he use his own helmet as a spear. He hit Addison cleanly in the chest with his right shoulder on a text-book hit that dislodged the ball.
But instead of a turnover on downs, the Vikings got a fresh set of downs and scored a touchdown on a sneak by Darnold on the next play to extend their lead to 13-3. CBS’ Adam Archuleta, a former NFL safety, was incensed by the call.
“That should not be a personal foul,” Archuleta said. “He hits him right in the chest. There is zero head and neck area involved in that hit.”
CBS’ rules analyst Gene Steratore concurred with Archuleta that officials got the call wrong.
“Youd like to see the official throw [the flag] and maybe replay come in and take it off of that foul after theyve thrown it,” Steratore said.
Callahan, meanwhile, was irate. He walked onto the field to yell at officials as an assistant coach restrained him.
Callahan’s reaction drew another flag, this one for unsportsmanlike contact. The Vikings were already at first-and-goal from the 1-yard thanks to the unnecessary roughness call, so the second penalty cost the Titans just half a yard. Callahan got his money’s worth with his rant, but to no avail as the Vikings were assorted a fresh set of downs that they converted into a touchdown.