NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – One of the critical moments in the Tennessee Titans’ 20-12 loss to the Denver Broncos in the season-opener came in the 3rd quarter.
The Titans trailed 13-12 and faced a 1st and 20 after a JC Latham penalty. Rookie quarterback Cam Ward threw a ball to the sidelines for receiver Elic Ayomanor. Ayomanor came down with the ball, but was ruled out of bounds and so the call was an incompletion. Callahan did not challenge the call, but replays showed Ayomanor’s elbow may have landed in bounds before the rest of his body hit the ground. And the receiver clearly had possession of the ball. By NFL rule, that would be a catch and could have been a first down for the Titans and a 20-yard gain.
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After the game, Callahan was asked about challenging the call, but said, “An elbow doesn’t equal two feet, so his foot would have had to come down as well. We didn’t have a clean look, so the call from upstairs was that it wasn’t worth challenging.”
On Monday, the Titans’ head coach retracted that remark.
“Look, ultimately, my interpretation of the rule was wrong. I’ll own it,” said Callahan.
“We should have challenged to play, and that’s pretty much all I can say about it is I’ll own mistake should have challenged it and that is where it stands.”
“That’s what you want in a coach: take accountability,” said Safety Xavier Woods. “That’s what he preaches to us. That game was on the coach and the players. And so us as a collective from top to bottom just taking accountability for all our mistakes is how we’re going to keep pushing this thing and get to the next level.”
The Titans host the LA Rams on Sunday in the home-opener at Nissan Stadium.
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