NFL officiating crews often play a large part in determining which teams win or lose each week. As on-the-field arbiters of the league’s rulebook, officials have the power to destroy an offense’s momentum, or hurt a defense’s chance of preventing a team from advancing within range of a game-winning field-goal attempt. All with the toss of a yellow flag.
There are 17 NFL officiating crews, and they are assigned to games each week, depending on how many games are played. For instance, Week 14 features 15 games, with two teams — Arizona and Washington — not playing due the bye week.
Below are Week 14 assignments for the NFL officiating crews, along with a detailed look at which teams might be helped or hurt by who will be calling penalties at their game this week.
THURSDAY
Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots, 8:20 p.m. ET
Head official: Clay Martin | Games officiated: 11
| CATEGORY | CREW | STEELERS | PATRIOTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penalties called/game | 10.82 (16th out of 17) | 5.8 (20th ) | 5.7 (21st) |
| Home vs. road penalties | +1.72 for home team | 5.4 (road) | 5.3 (home) |
| Most penalties, one game | 15 (KC at MIA) | 10 (vs. TEN) | 10 (at LV) |
| Top three penalties called/game | Off. holding: 3.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 |
| False start: 2.3 | 0.5 | 1.1 | |
| Def. holding: 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.4 | |
| Most penalized players | 1. OL 3.3/g 2. DB 2.5/g 3. LB 1.5/g | CB Joey Porter Jr. (6) | OL Michael Onwenu (4) WR J. Smith-Schuster (4) DL Deatrich Wise (4) |
Who should benefit the most: The Pittsburgh Steelers. Neither team is among the most penalized in the league, but the officiating crew should favor the Steelers based on the penalties that Martin’s crew likes to call and the crew’s tendency to make more calls in favor of the visiting team.
SunDAY
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. ET
Head official: Alex Kemp | Games officiated: 12
| CATEGORY | CREW | BUCCANEERS | FALCONS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penalties called/game | 13.5 (2nd out of 17) | 6.5 (9th-t) | 5.4 (25th-t) |
| Home vs. road penalties | +1.64 for road team | 6.8 (road) | 6.0 (home) |
| Most penalties, one game | 21 (DAL at ARI) | 11 (at BUF, NO) | 9 (at TB) |
| Top three penalties called/game | False start: 2.9 | 1.3 | 1.25 |
| Off. holding: 1.7 | 1.5 | 0.9 | |
| Def. PI: 1.2 | 0.2 | 0.6 | |
| Most penalized players | 1. OL 3.7/g 2. DB 3.4/g 3. DL 1.5/g | OL Luke Goedeke (7) | DB A.J. Terrell (5) |
Who should benefit the most: Atlanta Falcons. Among the NFL officiating crews, Kemp’s group flags the second-most penalties in the league and tends to make calls in favor of the home team. And the Bucs already rank in the top one-third of the league in penalties per game. They also have a greater likelihood of committing an offensive penalty, the type this crew calls the most.
Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears, 1 p.m. ET
Head official: Tra Blake | Games officiated: 11
| CATEGORY | CREW | LIONS | BEARS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penalties called/game | 12.82 (6th out of 17) | 5.7 (21st-t) | 6.7 (7th-t) |
| Home vs. road penalties | +0.64 for home team | 5.3 (road) | 7.6 (home) |
| Most penalties, one game | 22 (HOU at BAL) | 10 (vs. ATL) | 10 (vs. DEN) |
| Top three penalties called/game | False start: 2.6 | 0.7 | 1.7 |
| Off. holding: 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.2 | |
| Def. PI: 1.7 | 0.8 | 0.5 | |
| Most penalized players | 1. OL 3.8/g 2. DB 3.6/g 3. DL 1.6/g | DB Jerry Jacobs (8) | OT Darnell Wright (10) |
Who should benefit the most: Detroit Lions. The Bears draw more flags at home than they do on the road, and Blake’s crew also dings home teams at a higher rate. Someone like Darnell Wright, who’s among the league leaders in penalties, could have a rough day on Sunday, especially since half of his 10 penalties have been false starts.
Indianapolis Colts at Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m. ET
Head official: Shawn Hochuli | Games officiated: 11
| CATEGORY | CREW | COLTS | BENGALS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penalties called/game | 12.18 (8th out of 17) | 6.0 (18th) | 5.1 (28th-t) |
| Home vs. road penalties | +1.09 for road team | 5.5 (road) | 5.3 (home) |
| Most penalties, one game | 18 (TAM at NO) 18 (MIN at GB) | 8 (4 times) | 9 (at BAL) |
| Top three penalties called/game | Off. holding: 2.7 | 1.0 | 0.5 |
| False start: 1.7 | 1.3 | 0.8 | |
| Roughing the QB: 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | |
| Most penalized players | 1. OL 3.4/g 2. DB 2.6/g 3. DL 2.0/g | WR Michael Pittman (7) | OL Alex Cappa (4) |
Who should benefit the most: Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals are among the league’s least penalized teams, and the calls from Hochuli’s crew typically skew in favor of the home team. Pittman, by the way, leads all NFL receivers in penalties.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m. ET
Head official: Ron Torbert | Games officiated: 12
| CATEGORY | CREW | JAGUARS | BROWNS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penalties called/game | 13.33 (4th out of 17) | 5.1 (28th-t) | 6.5 (9th-t) |
| Home vs. road penalties | +0.17 for home team | 5.3 (road) | 6.2 (home) |
| Most penalties, one game | 21 (CAR at SEA) | 8 (at BUF) | 13 (vs. SF) |
| Top three penalties called/game | False start: 3.8 | 1.6 | 0.9 |
| Off. holding: 3.0 | 0.8 | 1.3 | |
| Def. holding: 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.4 | |
| Most penalized players | 1. OL 4.8/g 2. DB 3.6/g 3. WR 1.4/g | OL Walker Little (6) | DB Martin Emerson (6) OL Jedrick Wills (6) |
Who should benefit the most: Jacksonville Jaguars. Torbert’s crew, the fourth most likely to throw flags among the NFL officiating crews, could have a field day with Wills and fellow OL Wyatt Teller, who’ve combined for seven holding calls and four false starts.
Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m. ET
Head official: Alan Eck | Games officiated: 11
| CATEGORY | CREW | PANTHERS | SAINTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penalties called/game | 11.36 (13th out of 17) | 6.8 (6th-t) | 6.3 (15th-t) |
| Home vs. road penalties | +0.27 for road team | 6.9 (road) | 4.8 (home) |
| Most penalties, one game | 17 (ARI at WAS) | 13 (at SEA) | 12 (at NE) |
| Top three penalties called/game | Off. holding: 2.0 | 1.4 | 1.7 |
| False start: 2.0 | 1.8 | 1.6 | |
| Unneces. rough.: 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.25 | |
| Most penalized players | 1. OL 3.2/g 2. DB 2.8/g 3. LB 1.4/g | OL Ikem Ekwonu (6) | DB Paulson Adebo (6) |
Who should benefit the most: New Orleans Saints. This matchup is about as close as it gets when it comes to NFL officiating crews, but Eck’s crew is slightly friendlier to home teams, and the Saints draw far fewer flags at the Superdome overall.
Houston Texans at New York Jets, 1 p.m. ET
Head official: Brad Allen | Games officiated: 11
| CATEGORY | CREW | TEXANS | JETS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penalties called/game | 10.73 (17th out of 17) | 6.7 (7th-t) | 6.8 (5th-t) |
| Home vs. road penalties | +1.27 for road team | 7.8 (road) | 6.6 (home) |
| Most penalties, one game | 15 (BAL at CLE) | 10 (at CAR) | 11 (vs. ATL) |
| Top three penalties called/game | Off. holding: 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| False start: 1.7 | 0.9 | 1.8 | |
| Def. PI: 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.2 | |
| Most penalized players | 1. DB 2.7/g 2. OL 2.5/g 3. DL 1.2/g | DB Tavierre Thomas OL Laremy Tunsil DL Kurt Hinish DB Shaquill Griffin (5) | OL Mekhi Becton (6) |
Who should benefit the most: New York Jets. While Allen’s team tosses the fewest flags among the NFL officiating crews, this is one area where the Jets have a clear edge over the Texans, who are much more susceptible to flags thrown at their defensive backfield.
Los Angeles Rams at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m. ET
Head official: Scott Novak | Games officiated: 12
| CATEGORY | CREW | RAMS | RAVENS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penalties called/game | 10.92 (15th out of 17) | 5.9 (19th) | 6.1 (17th) |
| Home vs. road penalties | +0.08 for home team | 5.5 (road) | 6.2 (home) |
| Most penalties, one game | 20 (TB at BUF) | 9 (vs. SEA) | 13 (vs. HOU) |
| Top three penalties called/game | False start: 2.3 | 0.7 | 1.2 |
| Off. holding: 2.1 | 1.3 | 1.3 | |
| Delay of game: 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.25 | |
| Most penalized players | 1. OL 3.2/g 2. DB 2.8/g 3. DL 1.2/g | DB Derion Kendrick (9) | OL Ronnie Stanley (8) |
Who should benefit the most: Los Angeles Rams. This edge is ever so slight, with the Ravens having a tiny uptick in penalties at home and the Rams doing the reverse. But the numbers show that penalties shouldn’t have much of a bearing on this game.
Minnesota Vikings at Las Vegas Raiders, 4:05 p.m. ET
Head official: Craig Wrolstad | Games officiated: 11
| CATEGORY | CREW | VIKINGS | RAIDERS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penalties called/game | 11.27 (14th out of 17) | 4.8 (31st) | 4.7 (32nd) |
| Home vs. road penalties | +1.09 for home team | 4.7 (road) | 4.0 (home) |
| Most penalties, one game | 16 (GB at CHI) | 7 (at CAR, GB) | 10 (at DEN) |
| Top three penalties called/game | False start: 2.0 | 0.75 | 1.0 |
| Off. holding: 2.0 | 1.2 | 0.75 | |
| Def. PI: 1.2 | 0.25 | 0.4 | |
| Most penalized players | 1. DB 3.0/g 2. OL 2.5/g 3. DL 1.5/g | OL Brian O’Neill (6) | DE Maxx Crosby (5) WR Jakobi Meyers (5) |
Who should benefit the most: Minnesota Vikings. These are the two least penalized teams in the NFL, yet the Vikings have a modest advantage given the tendency of Wrolstad’s crew to ding the home team more often.
Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers, 4:05 p.m. ET
Head official: Brad Rogers | Games officiated: 12
| CATEGORY | CREW | SEAHAWKS | 49ERS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penalties called/game | 12.83 (5th out of 17) | 7.6 (1st) | 6.4 (14th) |
| Home vs. road penalties | +0.33 for road team | 8.5 (road) | 5.6 (home) |
| Most penalties, one game | 18 (NO at GB) | 12 (at LAR) | 12 (at CLE) |
| Top three penalties called/game | Off. holding: 3.6 | 0.9 | 1.0 |
| False start: 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.2 | |
| Def. holding: 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | |
| Most penalized players | 1. OL 3.4/g 2. DB 2.3/g 3. LB & DL 1.7/g | DB Tariq Woolen (8) | OL Spencer Burford (7) |
Who should benefit the most: San Francisco 49ers. It almost doesn’t matter which of the NFL officiating crews is assigned to this game. The Seahawks are the most penalized team in the NFL, they commit far more penalties on the road, and they are playing a 49ers team that gets flagged much less at home than on the road. It’s a bad combination for Seattle, which needs all the help it can get in this NFC West matchup.
Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs, 4:25 p.m. ET
Head official: Carl Cheffers | Games officiated: 10
| CATEGORY | CREW | BILLS | CHIEFS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penalties called/game | 11.60 (12th out of 17) | 7.0 (4th) | 6.3 (15th-t) |
| Home vs. road penalties | +0.4 for road team | 7.8 (road) | 5.2 (home) |
| Most penalties, one game | 21 (SEA at LAR) | 11 (vs. JAC, PHI) | 12 (at JAC) |
| Top three penalties called/game | False start: 2.6 | 0.9 | 1.1 |
| Off. holding: 2.0 | 1.25 | 1.75 | |
| Def. PI: 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.5 | |
| Most penalized players | 1. OL 3.0/g 2. DB 2.2/g 3. DL 1.4/g | OL Dion Dawkins OL Spencer Brown OL O’Cyrus Torrance DL Jordan Phillips DL Ed Oliver (5) | OL Jawaan Taylor (15) |
Who should benefit the most: Kansas City Chiefs. Taylor is by far the most penalized player in the NFL. Beyond that, the Chiefs have the most flagged defensive back, L’Jarius Sneed, and tight end, Travis Kelce. Yet most of the Bills offensive linemen have five penalties apiece, and the NFL officiating crews aren’t too kind to the Bills outside of Buffalo.
Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers, 4:25 p.m. ET
Head official: Clete Blakeman | Games officiated: 11
| CATEGORY | CREW | BRONCOS | CHARGERS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penalties called/game | 11.73 (11th out of 17) | 6.5 (9th-t) | 5.1 (28yh-t) |
| Home vs. road penalties | +0.45 for road team | 5.8 (road) | 4.8 (home) |
| Most penalties, one game | 19 (SEA at DAL) | 10 (at BUF, vs. LV) | 12 (at MIN) |
| Top three penalties called/game | False start: 2.2 | 1.3 | 0.8 |
| Off. holding: 1.6 | 1.0 | 0.7 | |
| Def. PI: 1.6 | 0.5 | 0.7 | |
| Most penalized players | 1. DB 3.3/g 2. OL 3.0/g 3. DL 1.5/g | OL Mike McClinchy (6) DB Patrick Surtain (6) | DB Derwin James (6) |
Who should benefit the most: Los Angeles Chargers. The numbers favor the Chargers at home, even though the Broncos are flagged far less on the road. Among the NFL officiating crews, Blakeman’s team watches the defensive backs as closely as any of them, so players like Surtain and James need to be careful not to draw an untimely flag that could alter the course of the game.
Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys, 8:20 p.m. ET
Head official: John Hussey | Games officiated: 11
| CATEGORY | CREW | EAGLES | COWBOYS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penalties called/game | 13.64 (1st out of 17) | 5.4 (25th-t) | 7.5 (2nd) |
| Home vs. road penalties | +1.27 for road team | 4.3 (road) | 6.7 (home) |
| Most penalties, one game | 25 (SF at CLE) | 11 (vs. WAS) | 13 (at ARI) |
| Top three penalties called/game | False start: 2.6 | 1.25 | 1.0 |
| Off. holding: 2.5 | 0.3 | 1.5 | |
| Def. offsides: 1.0 | 0.5 | 1.2 | |
| Most penalized players | 1. DB 3.7/g 2. OL 3.4/g 3. DL 1.7/g | DL Josh Sweat (6) | OL Tyler Smith (7) |
Related: Why the Dallas Cowboys haven’t proven they are real Super Bowl contenders in 2023
Who should benefit the most: Philadelphia Eagles. Of the 17 NFL officiating crews, none calls more penalties than Hussey’s crew, and the Cowboys are the second most penalized team in the league. At the same time, they aren’t flagged as much at home, and the numbers clearly show that Hussey’s crew tends to ding the road team the most. So, if the Eagles have an edge, it’s not necessarily a big one.
MONDAY
Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins, 8:15 p.m. ET
Head official: Adrian Hill | Games officiated: 11
| CATEGORY | CREW | TITANS | DOLPHINS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penalties called/game | 12.00 (9th out of 17) | 6.5 (9th-t) | 5.6 (23rd) |
| Home vs. road penalties | +1.82 for road team | 6.1 (road) | 4.6 (home) |
| Most penalties, one game | 18 (CIN at BAL) | 9 (vs. IND) | 10 (at PHI) |
| Top three penalties called/game | False start: 2.4 | 1.75 | 0.9 |
| Off. holding: 1.8 | 1.0 | 1.5 | |
| Def. PI: 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.4 | |
| Most penalized players | 1. DB 3.3/g 2. OL 2.9/g 3. DL 1.7/g | OL Dillon Radunz (7) | DB Xavien Howard (6) OL Connor Williams (6) |
Who should benefit the most: Miami Dolphins. Dolphins receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle should have a field day, thanks to some help from Hill’s crew, which likes to flag defensive backs at a higher rate than any other position, and might be the most home-friendly among the NFL officiating crews.
Green Bay Packers at New York Giants, 8:15 p.m. ET
Head official: Land Clark | Games officiated: 12
| CATEGORY | CREW | PACKERS | GIANTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penalties called/game | 13.42 (3rd out of 17) | 7.2 (3rd) | 5.5 (24th) |
| Home vs. road penalties | +1.42 for road team | 6.3 (road) | 5.2 (home) |
| Most penalties, one game | 20 (DAL at LAC) | 11 (vs. NO, MIN) | 9 (at BUF, ARI) |
| Top three penalties called/game | Off. holding: 2.9 | 1.4 | 1.3 |
| False start: 2.0 | 1.4 | 1.1 | |
| Unnec. rough.: 1.25 | 0.5 | 0.3 | |
| Most penalized players | 1. DB 4.0/g 2. OL 3.8/g 3. LB 1.3/g | DB Jonathan Owens (6) | OL Joshua Ezeudu (5) |
Who should benefit the most: New York Giants. The Packers are among the league’s hottest teams, but of the NFL officiating crews assigned to Week 14 games, Green Bay might have one of the biggest disadvantages. The calls from Clark’s flag-happy crew skew largely in favor of the home team, and the Giants are penalized slightly less at home.