Every week, we see at least one referee and his crew with a week off, but as the bye weeks start, that number will grow to three. However, that still means we have 14 other crews working this week, so let’s look at the Week 5 NFL ref assignments.
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NFL Referee Assignments for Week 5
All times Eastern and game day Sunday unless stated.
- Jacksonville Jaguars at Buffalo Bills | 9:30 a.m.
Shawn Smith - Houston Texans at Atlanta Falcons | 1 p.m.
Shawn Hochuli - Carolina Panthers at Detroit Lions | 1 p.m.
Adrian Hill - Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts | 1 p.m.
Brad Rogers - New York Giants at Miami Dolphins | 1 p.m.
Ron Torbert - New Orleans Saints at New England Patriots | 1 p.m.
Alex Kemp - Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers | 1 p.m.
Carl Cheffers
- Cincinnati Bengals at Arizona Cardinals | 4:05 p.m.
Clay Martin - Philadelphia Eagles at Los Angeles Rams | 4:05 p.m.
Bill Vinovich - New York Jets at Denver Broncos | 4:25 p.m.
John Hussey - Kansas City Chiefs at Minnesota Vikings | 4:25 p.m.
Land Clark - Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers | 8:20 p.m.
Alan Eck - Green Bay Packers at Las Vegas Raiders | 8:15 p.m. (Mon)
Brad Rogers
We could be in for flag-filled Monday Night Football as the crew with the second most flags thrown this year per game takes command. Rogers’ crew averages 19.25 flags per game through the first four weeks. The one saving grace is that they at least seem to be calling games evenly on average, with an equal number of penalties on home and road teams.
It could also be a busy day for the penalty recorders in Foxborough, where Kemp’s crew are in charge. Kemp and his group are averaging 20 flags per game this season. Additionally, the Saints will be watching their step, with Kemp’s crew averaging 9.5 penalties per game on the road team compared to 6.25 on the home team.
The afternoon window could be reasonably clean in terms of penalties. Clay Martin’s crew (11 flags per game) and John Hussey’s crew (12.33 flags per game) are the least flag-happy crews this season. Additionally, Bill Vinovich and his crew are usually keen to keep their flags in their pocket, averaging just 14 flags per game this year.
MORE: 2023 NFL Bye Week Schedule
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.