Titans Star Calls Out Refs After Brutal Game

The Tennessee Titans are livid over poor officiating during their loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons (98) takes the field before their game against the New England Patriots at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. / Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tennessee Titans are having a hard enough time winning games as it is. They don't need the officials getting in the way.

But that's exactly what happened this past Sunday in the Titans' 23-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

The most egregious call came in the second quarter, when safety Mike Brown was called for a very questionable "roughing" penalty after hitting Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison on a pass attempt, which should have caused an incompletion and a turnover on downs.

Instead, Minnesota was given a first down and scored a touchdown.

Afterward, Titans defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons sounded off on the officiating.

"You know how the NFL gets when you talk about officiating," Simmons said, via JT Ruhnke of Broadway Sports Media. "At the end of the day, everyone has to be held accountable,"

Tennessee was called for 13 penalties on the day. Meanwhile, Minnesota was flagged just three times. The difference in infractions definitely seemed stark.

"Maybe some of them [were correct], but a lot of the calls in that game, we disagree with them," added Simmons. "At the end of the day, we still had a chance in that game. It's hard when those types of calls are [going against you]."

Simmons logged four tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the loss. He has registered 35 tackles and three sacks on the year.

There was some speculation that the Titans could actually move Simmons before the Nov. 5 trade deadline, but they decided to hold on to him.

The two-time Pro Bowler went on to add how discouraging the incessant flags were throughout the contest.

"You're making plays and getting off the field on third down, and you get a penalty. And some of them were late," Simmons said. "We're getting off the field, we're celebrating, and here comes the flag. It's out of our control. I think we're cursed when it comes to officiating right now. That's just my opinion on that. We can't speak too much on it. The NFL is waiting to fine us."

We'll see if the Titans can rebound against the Houston Texans next Sunday.

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