Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans CHEATED by Referees v Minnesota Vikings, Will Levis BEST GAME & O-Line Disaster

Episode Date: November 17, 2024

The Tennessee Titans were absolutely cheated by he officials in their 23-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Terrible calls throughout the entire game doomed the Titans who outplayed the Vikings most of the day. Will Levis was under constant pressure, but absolutely played his best football of the season against a great defense. However, the poor play of the offensive line and the missed opportunities on defense will make the Titans as angry as the poor officiating on the day.Subscribe to the TicTacTitans Film Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@TicTacTitansTicTacTitans Merchandise: https://dixons-dream.square.site/shop/tictactitans-gear/C3AAPNWXSXA6SBYG3USV2I7R?page=1&limit=30&sort_by=category_order&sort_order=ascFollow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitansFollow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPodSubscribe to the Locked On Titans YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnTitans/videosSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Pre-Alcohol by ZbioticsGo to zbiotics.com/LOCKEDONNFL to learn more and get 15% off your first order when you use LOCKEDONNFL at checkout.BetterHelpThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDON today to get 10% off your first month.Bilt RewardsEarn points now by paying rent right now by when you go to joinbilt.com/lockedonnflHillsdale CollegeAll of Hillsdale’s courses are self-paced so that you can start whenever, and tune in wherever. Plus, you can go deeper with readings, quizzes, discussions - or just enjoy the lectures. Go right now to hillsdale.edu/lockedon to enroll. There’s no cost, and it’s easy to get started.PrizePicksDownload the app and use code lockedonnfl to win $50 instantly when you play $5. You don't even need to win to receive your $50 bonus, it's guaranteed! Prizepicks. Run Your Game.Click Here: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFLGametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms Apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.FanDuelYou can start the season with a big return on FanDuel. New customers can place a FIVE DOLLAR bet and you’ll get started with ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS - if you win your first FIVE DOLLAR BET ! Visit FANDUEL.COM to get started.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

There's no ifs, ands, buts about it. The Tennessee Titans got absolutely cheated against the Minnesota Vikings. That and more on today's edition of Locked on Titans. You are Locked on Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast. Part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome to the Locked On Titans Podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland, Titans fans. Today's edition of the Locked On Titans Podcast is brought to you by Hillsdale College.

Go right now to hillsdale.edu slash locked on to enroll. There's no cost and it's easy to get started. I mean, I am not somebody who gets on my podcast and goes online and blames the referees when the Titans could have done something about it, but the Tennessee Titans got absolutely cheated by the referees against the Minnesota Vikings. The score is 23-13, but the Tennessee Titans absolutely played well enough to win this game, and the referees handed the victory to the Minnesota Vikings in an absolute unconsciousness. I can't even say it.

I'm so messed up. It is unconscious. I'm not even going to try. I cannot believe how terrible that the referees were in this game. They absolutely cheated the Tennessee Titans. No doubt about it. 100% a true screw job by the referees in favor of the Minnesota Vikings on every single one of their touchdowns.

The Tennessee Titans were cheated by the referees. It's truly unbelievable. I have never seen a football game go the way that I saw this football game go. I have never seen a football game go the way that I saw this football game go. I have never in my life seen a group of officials absolutely screw a single football team over and over and over again. It did not matter what happened. Not only did the referees give Minnesota free points,

but they took away points from the Tennessee Titans on a play that you could have called on the Minnesota Vikings offensive line every single play of the game, and yet they only call it on the Tennessee Titans. Again, it's an absolute screw job. If I'm Brian Callahan, I protest to the league. If I'm the Tennessee Titans organization, I am taking legal matters. This is absolutely unconscionable. I try to go to the well again, and here I am taking legal matters. Like, this is absolutely unconscionable. I try to go to the well again, and here I am once again.

I'm about as bad as the referees were. I'm so pissed off by what I just saw. I can barely speak. Like, it is unbelievable how bad the Tennessee Titans got screwed in this game. I'm going to get into all of it. Thanks for watching. Locked on Titans, your team every day. Get subscribed, stay subscribed. Shout out going to get into all of it. Thanks for watching. Locked on Titans, your team every day. Get subscribed, stay subscribed. Shout out my everydayers, all that.

I mean, it's one thing for this team to lose. I have watched this Tennessee Titans team lose due to their own ineptitude over and over all year long. I know what it looks like when the Tennessee Titans deserve to lose and on their own merit, find a way to lose games. But the absolute absurdity of what the referees did to the Tennessee Titans in this game, just ridiculous. Think about it. The very first touchdown of the game, the very first touchdown of the game. Titans get a stop. Jarvis Brownlee

Jr. plays excellent coverage on Justin Jefferson. Literally locks Justin Jefferson down on the play on the left-hand sideline. Perfect coverage. Perfect. Justin Jefferson doesn't even turn around and looks for the football. He doesn't even know that the football is coming to him. Ball is incomplete. Nope. Penalty. Penalty on the Titans. Very next play, touchdown for the Vikings. Literally, the Titans get a third down stop, and there is a phantom pass interference on Jarvis Bromley Jr., and they hand Minnesota their first touchdown of the day. Then it gets even worse. It gets even more egregious as we go forward. Even more egregious. The Titans get a stop on fourth and one.

They get a stop, and they call Tavondre Sweat for offsides. I mean, what a joke. What a joke. He's not offsides. He's not all sides he's not all sides any more than any other defensive lineman who lines up on a fourth and goal situation is ever like to call an all sides penalty on a fourth and one where the Titans get a stop it is just absolutely egregious and then if you thought that that was the worst thing that happened on the drive, you were sorely mistaken. Because immediately, the Titans get another stop on fourth and goal at the one, and what might be the worst penalty of the entire season in the NFL

was a penalty called on Mike Brown for unnecessary roughness. When he literally put his shoulder, he didn't launch himself, he didn't jump into the air. He put his shoulder pad into the chest of a wide receiver to disrupt a play where he has the ball in his hands. If Mike Brown doesn't make that contact, it's a catch for a touchdown. What is he supposed to do? And look, there are going to be some who says, oh, the Titans lost. You're just an angry Titans fan. Go try to find somebody who isn't a Minnesota Vikings fan to tell you that any of these calls were correct against the Titans. I mean, even the broadcasters in the booth,

the non-biased broadcasters in the booth, Gene Steratore, a former NFL official, on all of these calls said, ah, these are tough calls for the Titans. What's his name? Sparrow Ditas or Adam Archuleta, one of the F-level crew for CBS. Literally throughout the entire game, even after the plays are over, they're still like, I can't believe they made those calls.

So on the first two touchdowns of the game, Minnesota was literally handed a touchdown. Literally handed a touchdown. Literally handed a touchdown. And then finally, you get an illegal contact on Jarvis Brownlee Jr. for perfect coverage against Justin Jefferson. Perfect coverage.

Literally perfect coverage. And then, and then we keep it going. Sam Darnold fumbled the football. He had fumbled it and was trying to get it back together and they gave the ball back to Minnesota. I mean, like, it's absurd. The horse collar? They called a horse collar on a tackle where a guy had two hands on shoulder pads.

If you want to say it's a late hit out of bounds, okay, then call that. But you called a horse collar tackle. There was no horse collar tackle. It did not exist. And then finally, not only do you hand Minnesota three touchdowns on the day when they were terrible,

then you take points away from the Tennessee Titans and call an illegal formation. Literally every single offensive tackle lines up the exact same way the entire game, every team, all season long. And you're going to call that when the Titans, and if you saw when the flag came out, hilarious, hilarious timing.

And you take a 52-yard touchdown to Calvin Ridley off the board. I mean, like, it's, it's, it's unbelievable. It's unbelievable that the Tennessee Titans consistently, over and over throughout my entire life,

are the team that gets screwed. Don't even, like, let's not even talk about the strip sack fumbles that the Titans get screwed on every single game. I mean, it's unbelievable. It's unbelievable. So all of those penalties, I am, if you have listened to my podcast, for the six seasons that I have done it, I never, I never, I never get on here and blame the officials.

But this was absurd. Brian Callahan, I would not have blamed Brian Callahan if he took physical action against the referees for the calls that they were making. I could not blame the man. I couldn't blame him. There are people's livelihoods at stake, and for the officials to outright screw one team in favor of another team, just despicable. Just despicable. Absolutely despicable stuff.

I've never seen anything like that in my life. What a miserable, miserable game by the NFL. And again, if I'm Amy Adams Strunk, I have to take action in some way against the rest of the owners and against the officials. Like, you just can't have zero accountability after things like that. Just absolutely despicable. Hey, I have good news, though. I have good news.

Will Levis played awesome in this game. I mean, people are going to look at the interception at the end. I mean, they're down 10. He's trying to make something happen, but Will Levis was awesome in this game. Today's episode is brought to you by hillsdale college time is our most precious commodity so don't waste it scrolling through the same mind-numbing content for hours and hours how can you spend it wisely to improve yourself our sponsor hillsdale college is offering more than 40 free that's right free online courses including Constitution 101, the meaning and history of the Constitution,

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Use the code LOCKEDONNFL to get $50 instantly after you play your first $5 lineup. PrizePix. Run your game. Titans fans. Let's continue today's recap edition of the locked on Titans podcast. I don't care what anybody has to say about it. The Titans got absolutely screwed in this one. Absolutely screwed.

No doubt about it. No question about it. It's despicable what's happened here. But there is some good to take out of this game. Will Levis played very well in this game. I mean, look, was it perfect? I thought some of his read option stuff was wonky. I thought he made poor decisions when he was doing the read option and the triple option.

Again, those are new plays that he hasn't run a lot of. I haven't seen the Titans run those plays at all all year. So I like getting Will Levis' legs involved. I like the idea behind what the Titans were trying to do. Levis didn't necessarily make the right reads there. There were a couple of the five sacks that the Titans have where maybe Levis could have got rid of the ball a little bit quicker, but at the end of the day, I thought that Levis decision making in terms of when to hold it, when to pass it, when to take a sack, I thought he was pretty good in this game for the most part.

I would only say maybe one or two dropbacks where I would blame Will Levis for the decision-making in terms of holding the ball and when to get rid of it. Overall, you look at the box score, 17 for 31, 295 passing yards, had a touchdown, had the inter the interception again sacked five times had the bomb to Nick Westbrook-Akene for 98 yards

and a touchdown Calvin Ridley four catches 58 yards Tyler Boyd two for 34 Bryce Oliver the throw to Bryce Oliver

after the Titans had the Calvin Ridley touched and again Calvin Ridley four catches for 58 yards it should be Calvin Ridley

five catches 110 yards and a touchdown again the Titans got screwed once again touched. And again, Calvin Ridley, four catches for 58 yards. It should be Calvin Ridley, five catches, 110 yards and a touchdown. Again, the Titans got screwed once again on an insane call that the NFL called a million times in the opening game against the Chiefs and since then quit calling it because it's stupid. And Isaiah Prince is terrible, but he was lined up fine. He was lined up right next to Dylan Radins. He was lined up right next to the center. It's ridiculous that they decided to start calling that when the Titans start having good drives. Like, it's just truly insane the way that it went.

But overall, again, the completion to Bryce Oliver after that penalty wiped the touchdown off the board for 33 yards off his back foot. I mean, these are the performances where you're like, penalty, wiped the touchdown off the board for 33 yards off his back foot. I mean, these are the performances where you're like, hmm. Will Levis is showing some things. Again, now that he had a good game against the Chargers last week, took some sacks, yes.

That decision-making timer in his head was way better in this game. It was way better in this game. He was getting rid of the ball, and I thought there was a play early on in the game where Will Levis was under pressure, and he dumped it off to Chigaconquo, and Chigaconquo made a man miss and then got a first down on third and long. That's the type of stuff that we talked about before the game that Will Levis had to do. So I thought the decision-making timer was better in this game. He was accurate in this game. He drove the ball down the field in this game. This was the first game where I would say Will Levis had his confidence back. Will Levis looked confident out there.

And again, I mean, Levis would have had 350 yards, two touchdowns, and the Titans would have been down by one score if the referees didn't cheat the Titans, and I just have to reiterate, I'm absolutely not somebody who gets on here and blames the refs. Six years of covering this team, I never blamed the refs,

but what we saw out there was despicable. It was unbelievable. It was unconsciousable. As I tried to say at the beginning of the show. Like, it's hard to fathom how one team could get screwed that bad. And Will Levis, if not for getting screwed by the refs,

had a miraculous stat line. Like, incredible. He led the team in rushing yards on the day two with 18. Like, you know, these are things where you want to continue to see the improvement going forward. You want to continue to see Will Levis improve week to week. This is what we expected from the beginning of the season.

This is what we expected. And you have to factor in, he's making all these decisions in a split second because that right side of the offense, the right tackle position is a disaster. I mean, the Titans were chipping to the right side and there was still pressure getting home every time. The Vikings didn't even have to blitz all that much in this game

because they could get home with four because the right side of the O-line is a disgrace. I'll tell you what. I mean, I know, again, like I started off with, I know that Levis was not perfect in this game. He was not perfect. Again, probably one or two dropbacks. I think the decision making needs to be better. There was on the zone reads that he had, I thought he made some poor reads on those as well. But overall, man, this was a great game for Will Levis.

This was even better than last week. And for him to have his best game of the season last week and then follow it up with this game right here. That's improvement. I mean at minimum that's improvement. Now am I here to tell you that the Tennessee Titans need to roll with Levis last year and they don't need to draft a quarterback. I had been leaning that way anyways, but that's more about the quarterbacks in the draft than it is about Will Levis.

I just don't know if I believe in the quarterbacks in the draft, quite honestly. So I don't know if I want to waste a pick on one of those guys. But if Levis continues to improve like this, and he has a couple more games, then the Titans should beat the Jags once. And I think the Titans could give the Bengals a run for their money because their defense is so bad, and that'll be an emotional game. I think there are opportunities. The Titans play the Colts again, of course. There will be opportunities for the Titans to win ball games, but what I would tell you is if Will Levis continues to improve,

then you probably give him a look next year. You probably give him a look next year because Cam Ward is a crazy player with great talent, but terrible decision-making. Shader Sanders is okay. He's okay. He has no extreme physical gifts. He's not a supreme athlete.

He doesn't have excellent arm strength. And he holds the ball a long time too. So, yeah, I mean, if Levis continues to play the way that he played today and keeps stacking these games where he continues to improve, you know, he may very well give himself a shot in 2025. But that is a conversation for a different day. Overall, a very good game for Will Levis. Not perfect, but a very good game, and that's encouraging.

Now, outside of the officials screwing the Titans and Will Levis playing well, let's talk about what else doomed this team in this game, and it's the missed sacks on defense and then the sacks that they gave up on offense. Do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. Get ready to tackle the second half of the NFL season with FanDuel America's number one sportsbook. Because right now, new customers can bet $5 and get $150 in bonus bets if you win.

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and make every moment more with Fandle, an official sportsbook partner of the NFL. Titans fans, let's cap off today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We talked about the screw job that happened to the Tennessee Titans, no doubt about it. Talked about Will Levis cooking in this game.

He honestly had a very good game. But now we got to look at the other things that were a major problem for the Tennessee Titans in this game because, you know, it obviously wasn't just the officials. Minnesota made some plays and the Titans didn't make enough plays when there were plays available. The number one thing that stands out to me here is the missed sacks. The Titans had Sam Darnold wrapped up so many times. So many times.

They had Sam Darnold dead to rights in the backfield, and they just weren't able to get him down. They just weren't able to get him down. The Titans only got two sacks on the day, despite all of the pressure that they were getting on Sam Darnold. I mean, the Titans had four quarterback hits. Again, only ended up with two sacks on the day. Tavondre Sweat missed a sack.

I think Simmons missed a sack. Key missed a sack. You just can't do this. You just, like, when you play a team that's better than you, and you're getting screwed by the referees, and everything's going against you, you gotta be able to make the plays. You gotta be able to make the plays.

I mean, that's what it comes down to at the end of the day. And the Titans missed so many sacks. It just, I don't understand how it continues to happen. and the Titans missed so many sacks. It just, I don't understand how it continues to happen. And it's not even like, you can't blame the coaching. You can't blame the strength and conditioning staff. You can't blame the organization. The Titans just don't make the big plays when it matters most. Those missed sacks early in that game,

the Titans cleaned it up at the end. They really did. I mean, the Titans for the most part cleaned it up and started getting Sam Darnold on the ground and getting throwaways and getting stops. But those missed sacks early in the game definitely hurt the Titans as well. And they just have to find a way

to get the quarterback to the ground when the opportunity is there. Like, they just have to. On the other side of it, five sacks. I think get the quarterback to the ground when the opportunity is there. Like they just have to, um, on the other side of it, five sacks. I think only one of them, maybe two at max are well,

Levis holding the ball, but like whether it be the penalties, whether it be the piss poor play, it is crazy how one spot on an offense, that right tackle spot, it is crazy how one spot, one position on offense can completely dismantle a team. Like, the right tackle spot, I think it was at TitanStats on Twitter, I forget the name of the person, but I think that was it. If I'm miscrediting, that's on me. But the Titans collective of right tackles this year,

whether it be MPF, Leroy Watson, Jalen Duncan, John Ajuku, Isaiah Prince is going to be added into that piss poor mix right there. But the Titans' right tackle position had given up eight sacks and 30-plus pressures. Would be the most in the NFL by far. Now, obviously, it's a bunch of different people playing right tackle. So, it's not just one person. But the collective of those dudes who have played at right tackle are the worst right tackle in the NFL.

It's every year. The worst left tackle spot in the NFL two years in a row, and now the Titans have the worst right tackle spot in the NFL. I just can't. It's just hard to believe. It's insane. I mean, I'm doing the best I can here, but I'm at somewhat of a loss for words

of what I just watched and how badly the Titans got cheated in this game. I cannot believe it, man. I simply cannot believe it. They played, they did enough to hurt themselves. Again, the missed sacks, giving up the sacks. Early on in the game, the pass

protection and the blitz pickup was not good enough. They were confused, not on the same page. But in the second half, the Titans really got it together from a pass protection standpoint. But it didn't matter because the refs were going to give the game to Minnesota no matter what. Because who cares about the little old Titans? We got to keep Minnesota as good as possible, right? Just crazy. Just absolutely crazy. The officiating that we just saw.

Wild. But again, the officials were terrible. Will Levis was good. The missed sacks, the early pass protection, not good enough. I will tell you this, only one really good special teams play

for the Vikings in this game. There was one kickoff return that was pretty good. Came after the Titans touchdown, I believe. One kickoff return that was decent. But other than that, special teams is okay, right? Anyways, with that being said, that is going to do it for me. I'm just so, so salty about the refereeing in this game. It's unbelievable, truly unbelievable.

But with that being said, make sure that you guys get subscribed, stay subscribed, throw a thumbs up on the video, throw a Titan up down in the chat. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.