diff --git a/airflow/cli/commands/standalone_command.py b/airflow/cli/commands/standalone_command.py
index 58c24fb5f77cb..41c1684fda3f6 100644
--- a/airflow/cli/commands/standalone_command.py
+++ b/airflow/cli/commands/standalone_command.py
@@ -228,7 +228,10 @@ def job_running(self, job):
         Checks if the given job name is running and heartbeating correctly
         (used to tell if scheduler is alive)
         """
-        return job.most_recent_job().is_alive()
+        recent = job.most_recent_job()
+        if not recent:
+            return False
+        return recent.is_alive()
 
     def print_ready(self):
         """