THE REF REVIEW

John Hussey

Referee · 185 games with data, 2015–2026

11.50accepted penalties/game
league 12.26 · below league avg by 6%
95.7penalty yards/game
league 102.3
5.57 / 5.92home / away penalties
league 5.95 / 6.30
0.31declined/game (not counted)
league 0.27; offsetting 0.01

Betting-line results

Favorite against the spread (W-L)91-86
Over-Under-Push vs closing total86-95-4

Outcomes reflect team play; shown for context only. League favorites cover roughly half the time.

Drive interruptions

185 games. Definitions on the methodology page.

MeasureThis crewLeague
Accepted offensive flags on drives with 2+ first downs, per game2.342.43
Same, per 100 drives with 2+ first downs22.723.4
% of those drives ending without points37%41%
% of crew flags in 4th quarter/OT27%26%
% of flags on the play right after a 20+ yd gain4.0%4.0%

Offensive penalties depend on the offense's play. These are descriptive counts, not judgments about any call.

Replay reviews (shown separately)

Replay reviews/challenges per game1.351.35

Mostly initiated by the replay booth or coaches, not the on-field crew.

Splits

SplitGamesPen/game
Primetime4611.26
Daytime13911.58
Playoffs1010.30 small sample
Regular season17511.57

Top penalty types (per game)

TypeThis refLeague
False Start2.282.22
Offensive Holding2.022.40
Defensive Pass Interference1.001.00
Unnecessary Roughness0.690.66
Defensive Holding0.610.75
Defensive Offside0.510.57
Delay of Game0.470.57
Neutral Zone Infraction0.410.46
Face Mask0.290.31
Offensive Pass Interference0.290.30

By season

SeasonGamesPen/gameLeague
20151513.2013.44
20161614.1912.99
20171612.0012.80
20181612.1913.03
20191711.5913.01
20201710.3510.88
20211710.1211.49
2022178.9410.88
20231711.9411.11
20241710.8812.56
20251710.9412.21
2026314.6714.85

Crew (2026, most frequent at each position)

By team

TeamGW-LPen on teamPen on opp
ARI105-55.75.0
ATL103-76.75.1
BAL106-46.76.8
BUF137-65.75.3
CAR82-65.26.1
CHI114-74.75.3
CIN149-54.15.3
CLE113-86.75.6
DAL136-76.46.3
DEN96-35.65.2
DET139-45.35.1
GB103-76.35.2
HOU103-76.26.0
IND104-66.46.9
JAX84-46.86.1
KC159-64.65.2
LA1610-65.15.1
LAC127-55.66.2
LV51-46.64.2
MIA149-55.05.5
MIN116-54.66.2
NE114-74.25.2
NO129-35.05.3
NYG114-75.97.3
NYJ136-75.95.2
OAK40-47.23.5
PHI98-15.67.7
PIT147-76.06.6
SD21-16.57.5
SEA125-77.25.5
SF106-46.85.8
STL21-16.07.0
TB134-96.45.6
TEN149-55.86.7
WAS105-56.55.8

Most team samples are small; differences are usually noise.