Brian Callahan was furious.
On Sunday afternoon, the Tennessee Titans hit the field at home vs the Minnesota Vikings, looking to pick up their third win of the 2024-25 NFL season as it passes its midway point. While things got off to a competitve start, the Titans ultimately found themselves down by a score of 16-3 late in the first half, thanks in no small part to a controversial call that benefited Minnesota.
About midway through the second quarter with the Vikings leading 7-3, Minnesota quarterabck Sam Darnold passed the ball to wide receiver Jordan Addison, who was streaking across the end zone. Addison then took a shot to the chest from Titans defensive back Mike Brown, which did not appear to have any helmet to helmet contact but isntead was taken to the chest.
Still, the officials called an unnecessary roughness penalty on the play, which was a fourth down, meaning if the penalty had not been called, the drive would have been over. Instead, not only was the drive extended due to the penalty, but head caoch Brian Callahan also got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for his understandably furious reaction to the call on the sidelines, per Kayla Anderson of 104-5 The Zone on X, formerly Twitter.
#Titans called for unnecessary roughness … AWFUL call and HC Brian Callahan made that clear! pic.twitter.com/8K9UVeQ43v
— Kayla Anderson ✨ (@KaylaAndersonTV) November 17, 2024
The Vikings would ultimately cash in on the penalties by punching the ball into the end zone and increasing their lead.
Overall, it was a good encapsulation of the frustrations that Vikings fans have felt throughout this season, as the team has navigated through quarterabck struggles from Will Levis as well as a general lack of talent and experience on the roster on a week to week basis.
Still, based on the replay, it seemed that Callahan had every right to be furious about a call that the NFL never seems to make with any kind of consistency.
