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Controversial Play Has Major Impact on Titans Season

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Titans Chargers Exchange Momentum

On Sunday afternoon, the Titans appeared to exchange momentum with the usually rampant Chargers offense over a decisive play before halftime. Alas, it was not to be when the officials, using replay assist, ruled that Justin Herbert’s hand was going forward. The play in question is seen below:

Titans and Chargers Exchange Momentum Over Decisive Play

Defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons appeared to have stripped Justin Herbert, and cornerback Roger McCreary picked it up for a touchdown. The referee, Craig Wrolstad, blocks the view of Herbert’s hand movement, but his arm is pinned to his body. It appears that the ball’s momentum goes forward from Herbert’s windup and the initial encounter with Simmons.

The defensive tackle may have knocked the ball off the passer’s hand during the closing stages of the windup, thus the forward acceleration. In an unfortunate turn of events for Tennessee, the replay officials in New York overturned the initial call. The score at the time of the incident favored the home team by a scoreline of 13-7. The Titans’ defense battled the high-flying Chargers offense to a standstill in the first half.

What Happened Next?

Since the play occurred near halftime, the teams marched into the locker rooms for their halftime to-dos with the same margin. The immediate effect of that specific event was intangible, but over time, it would have proven to have enormous tangible consequences. Tennessee was hindered by yet another special teams gaffe that set up a short field. The game was competitively over after consecutive scoring drives that put the woeful Titans offense behind the eight-ball. It was effectively over after a seven-minute soul-sucking drive by the Chargers offense until a garbage time score led by a Levis-to-Ridley touchdown made the scoreline respectable.

The offensive line held up well despite the ongoing monstrosity that is the calamitous right side. Los Angeles was credited with seven sacks, but most of them were Levis’ responsibility. He has been unable to manage the pocket effectively and live for another day. In particular, former Titans pass rusher Bud Dupree was a pest in the Titans’ backfield. He notched two “effort” sacks after being initially stopped by the blocker in the fourth quarter.

Did They Really Say That?

The NFL’s VP of Instant Replay, Mark Butterworth, had this to say to pool reporter Joe Reedy about the play in question.

The officials in New York saw it one way, while the rest of the football world saw it in another light. It is, ultimately, their judgment that matters in the end, no matter how unabashedly erroneous.

Meanwhile, Simmons, the star in the proceedings, had this to say about the situation:

Simmons was admittedly measured in his response, as the league could impose fines if he displayed any extracurricular outrage. The Titans have had a sordid history with this type of play, going back several seasons. Most notably, the playoffs were on the line a couple of years ago with last-second fill-in Josh Dobbs under center.

What’s next for each team?

The Titans hope to recover from another hopeless and fruitless effort in time to play the NFC North-contending Minnesota Vikings. Minnesota struggled against the Jaguars, failing to score a touchdown and coming away with the hard-fought 12-7 victory, aided by the theatrics of Travon Walker.

Los Angeles hosts a Sunday Night Football battle between young veteran passers against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Main Photo Courtesy of Steve Roberts – Imagn Images

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