The Tennessee Titans had a great opportunity for their first winning streak since November 2022. They jumped out to a 14-0 first quarter lead against the Cleveland Browns, a team that has struggled to consistently generate downfield throws. They were at home and facing the league's 31st-ranked rushing offense. Things were looking up.
But like nothing gold can stay, the Titans' grip on the NFL equivalent of a participation medal slowly slipped from their grasp. Cleveland took a 17-10 lead into halftime. The Browns led 24-17 with fewer than five minutes left after mounting a 71-yard scoring drive that could have driven nails into Tennessee's coffin. But Cam Ward and company battled back, converting third- and fourth-and long situations before tying
the game up with 58 seconds to play.
Cleveland battled back. With 28 seconds left and the ball near midfield, Deshaun Watson, the quarterback formerly accused of more than 20 counts of sexual misconduct and what an NFL investigation described as "predatory behavior," hit tight end Harold Fannin Jr. with a short pass over the middle of the field. Fannin rumbled for more than 30 yards after the catch, setting up Andre Szmyt's game-winning field goal as time expired.
But something didn't look quite right leading up to Fannin's rumble.
the Titans gave up 30+ yards after the catch to seal their own loss against the Browns
— Christian D'Andrea (@trainisland.bsky.social) 2026-10-25T20:07:57.355Z
Dawand Jones, filling in at right tackle for Tytus Howard, seemed to drop back into pass protection moments before the ball was snapped. Officials didn't call a false start, however. Instead of losing five yards, the Browns picked up 36.
The early jump has been in the NFL's crosshairs in recent years, thanks in large part to Jawaan Taylor's penchant for sliding backward a split second before the ball was snapped in his largely frustrating tenure with the Kansas City Chiefs. Complaints abounded and officials made it a point to flag him for the false starts -- he was flagged for the infraction 16 times between the 2023 and 2024 seasons, with five flags in the first five weeks of '24 alone. But Jones escaped ref scrutiny Sunday, clearing the path to crush the Titans' hopes once more.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Did refs miss a false start that set up Browns game-winning field goal?
