Every week, it seems that one or another of the NFL referees find themselves in the eye of frustration for fans, players, and coaches alike. Heading into Week 3 of the 2023 season, what are the NFL referee assignments across the remaining 15 games?
NFL Referee Assignments for Week 3
All times Eastern and game day Sunday unless stated.
- Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens | 1 p.m.
Clete Blakeman - Tennessee Titans at Cleveland Browns | 1 p.m.
Craig Wrolstad - Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions | 1 p.m.
Carl Cheffers - New Orleans Saints at Green Bay Packers | 1 p.m.
Brad Rogers - Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars | 1 p.m.
Scott Novak - Denver Broncos at Miami Dolphins | 1 p.m.
Clay Martin - Los Angeles Chargers at Minnesota Vikings | 1 p.m.
Shawn Smith
- New England Patriots at New York Jets | 1 p.m.
Bill Vinovich - Buffalo Bills at Washington Commanders | 1 p.m.
Land Clark - Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks | 4:05 p.m.
Ron Torbert - Dallas Cowboys at Arizona Cardinals | 4:25 p.m.
Alex Kemp - Chicago Bears at Kansas City Chiefs | 4:25 p.m.
Alan Eck - Pittsburgh Steelers at Las Vegas Raiders | 8:20 p.m.
Tra Blake - Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 7:15 p.m. (Mon)
Adrian Hill - Los Angeles Rams at Cincinnati Bengals | 8:15 p.m. (Mon)
John Hussey
When we look at the referee stats entering Week 3, one thing stands out immediately. Tra Blake, who is in charge of Sunday Night Football, has averaged 19.5 flags per game and 17.5 accepted penalties per game through the first two weeks.
In the game between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans in Week 1, they had a whopping 24 flags thrown and 22 penalties. That could lead to a very stop-and-start game on national TV to close out Sunday.
In the second game of Monday Night Football, we could have the opposite situation as John Hussey and his crew take command. Hussey’s group is averaging just 11 flags per game and seven accepted penalties per game. In the other MNF game, Adrian Hill’s crew threw a total of 16 flags per game with 12.5 accepted penalties.
The Dallas Cowboys may be a touch nervous entering this week. Alex Kemp’s crew is averaging double the number of penalties against road teams (10) than home teams (five). That is also something that the Philadelphia Eagles should watch on MNF. Hill’s crew is averaging 8.5 penalties per game against the road team and four per game on the home team.
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Of course, basing analysis on just two weeks is not a great idea. At this stage, we have no idea if the records are based on the team’s discipline or the tendencies of the officiating crews. Even looking back to previous seasons is tough because officiating crews change from year to year.
Each season, officials are assigned to referees from the NFL’s officiating roster. You can see the full crews for the 2023 season in our handy guide.