The NFL has a problem, and it's a problem that's getting some really loud voices behind it. There have been a plethora of errant calls by NFL officials in every single game, every single week. Even commentary teams and rules analysts have been baffled by some of the calls (and no-calls) we've seen this season.
The Tennessee Titans have been on the wrong side of many of those calls in 2026, and, for the second week in a row, they lost the game due to a missed false-start penalty. Last week, the Cleveland Browns were driving down the field with under 30 seconds on the clock. The game was tied. It was 1st-and-10 from the Browns' 45-yard line when Deshaun Watson completed a 36-yard pass to tight end Harold Fanin that put them in field goal range.
Except that right tackle Dawand Jones can clearly be seen on replay moving before the ball was snapped. The Browns kicked a field goal to win.
In Week 8 against the Bengals, a similar situation occurred. Cincinnati was driving down the field in an effort to tie the game and send it to overtime. There's 1:23 on the clock, and the Bengals are on the Titans' 18-yard line. Prior to the snap, left tackle Orlando Brown does a little wobble and takes a step back before the ball is snapped. No call. Joe Burrow finds Tee Higgins for a touchdown that ties the game and sends it to overtime.
Huge plays for Titans opponents despite blatant false starts in back to back weeks. pic.twitter.com/HPwlErIeus
— Will Boling (@will_boling) November 1, 2026
The Titans have been at the bottom of the NFL for several years now, and it seems that the NFL wants to keep it that way. They are willing to keep this team from succeeding at any cost because it doesn't fit their narrative.
The Titans aren't the only team getting hosed by the officials this season. There are teams who have to play against their opponent and the officials every week; even if that team gets a win, the officials are impacting how games turn out, which is unfair to everyone involved. The NFL has got to get a handle on this and bring fairness back to the field.
This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: Did Titans get hosed on another missed false-start penalty?
