2024 Divisional Playoffs
Martin, Torbert, Smith, and Cheffers are the Divisional Playoff referees
The 4 referees for the Divisional Playoffs have been announced
Football Zebras has confirmed the officiating crews for the Divisional Playoffs. Officials are listed with their uniform number, years of NFL experience (including this season), the crew each official worked with in the regular season (by the referee’s name), college, and outside occupation.
Five alternates are assigned to each game: a referee, an umpire, a line of scrimmage official (down judge or line judge), a deep wing official (field judge or side judge), and a back judge.
The prior playoff experience that is listed for the crew chief includes his service as an NFL official, including as referee and any other crew position (excluding alternate assignments). Also of note, the eventual Super Bowl officials are on the field for this weekend’s games, but not all are from the same crew.
All times are Eastern.
Texans at Chiefs, 4:30 p.m. ESPN ESPN2 ABC ESPN+
Clay Martin will be the referee for Texans-Chiefs, who is in his 10th season and 7th as referee. This is Martin’s 6th postseason assignment, including 4 Wild Card Playoffs and 2 Divisional Playoffs.
| Yrs | 2024 crew | College | Occupation | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 19 | Clay Martin | 10 | Oklahoma Baptist | retired high school administrator and basketball coach | |
| U | 127 | Scott Campbell | 2 | Blakeman | California-Davis | firefighter |
| DJ | 79 | Kent Payne | 21 | Rogers | Nebraska Wesleyan | agribusinessman |
| LJ | 32 | Walter Flowers | 2 | Allen | ||
| FJ | 72 | Jason Ledet | 2 | Hochuli | Nicholls State | physical therapy and rehabilitation |
| SJ | 95 | James Coleman | 20 | Blakeman | Arkansas | electrical engineer |
| BJ | 38 | Greg Yette | 15 | Rogers | Howard | defense contractor |
| RO | Matt Sumstine | 7 | Novak | Phoenix | real estate | |
| RA | Tim England | 3 | Novak | |||
| ALT | R | Craig Wrolstad | 22 | Washington | athletic director | |
| ALT | U | Tab Slaughter | 5 | Eck | Arkansas State | chief operating officer |
| ALT | LOS | Sarah Thomas | 10 | Allen | Mobile | sales representative |
| ALT | DEEP | Dominique Pender | 5 | Clark | Howard | trade support, finance and banking |
| ALT | BJ | Jim Quirk | 14 | Hochuli | Middlebury | financial advisor |
Commanders at Lions, 8:15 p.m. Fox
Ron Torbert will head the crew as the Commanders take on the Lions, who is in his 15th season and 11th as referee. This is Torbert’s 13th postseason assignment, including 4 Wild Card Playoffs, 7 Divisional Playoffs, 1 Conference Championship, and Super Bowl LVI. His Super Bowl assignment was as a referee.
| Yrs | 2024 crew | College | Occupation | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 62 | Ron Torbert | 15 | Michigan State | attorney | |
| U | 42 | Duane Heydt | 3 | Allen | South Carolina | statistician and real-estate investor |
| DJ | 21 | Max Causey | 3 | Hussey | Louisiana Tech | financial advisor |
| LJ | 47 | Tim Podraza | 17 | Hochuli | Nebraska | business performance consultant |
| FJ | 31 | Mearl Robinson | 8 | Blake | Air Force | retired U.S. Air Force instructor |
| SJ | 41 | Boris Cheek | 29 | Smith | Morgan State | retired director of operations and management |
| BJ | 120 | Jonah Monroe | 10 | Blakeman | Arkansas | engineer |
| RO | Kevin Brown | 6 | Allen | Purdue | retired air traffic controller | |
| RA | Durwood Manley | 6 | Allen | Lubbock Christian | sales territory manager | |
| ALT | R | Alex Kemp | 11 | Central Michigan | insurance agent | |
| ALT | U | Barry Anderson | 18 | Torbert | North Carolina State | builder/developer |
| ALT | LOS | Frank LeBlanc | 5 | Torbert | Lamar Institute of Technology | neighborhood services manager |
| ALT | DEEP | Allen Baynes | 17 | Hussey | Auburn | realtor |
| ALT | BJ | Matt Edwards | 7 | Hussey | Western Michigan | real estate investment specialist |
Rams at Eagles, 3 p.m. NBC Peacock
The crew in Philadelphia will be headed by referee Shawn Smith, who is in his 10th season and 7th as referee. This is Smith’s 9th postseason assignment, including 5 Wild Card Playoffs, 2 Divisional Playoffs, and 2 Conference Championships.
| Yrs | 2024 crew | College | Occupation | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 14 | Shawn Smith | 10 | Ferris State | finance | |
| U | 92 | Bryan Neale | 11 | Rogers | Indiana | sales consultant |
| DJ | 84 | Jay Bilbo | 2 | Smith | Ottawa (KS) | information technology |
| LJ | 75 | Mark Stewart | 7 | Novak | Pittsburg State | rancher |
| FJ | 107 | Dave Hawkshaw | 6 | Martin | Justice Institute of British Columbia | firefighter, former CFL official |
| SJ | 80 | Alonzo Ramsey | 3 | Martin | Howard | banking |
| BJ | 105 | Dino Paganelli | 19 | Smith | Aquinas College | educator |
| RO | Tyler Cerimeli | 7 | Blake | Arizona State | high school officials coordinator | |
| RA | Brian Davies | 2 | Cheffers | |||
| ALT | R | Bill Vinovich | 19 | San Diego | certified public accountant | |
| ALT | U | Roy Ellison | 22 | Hill | Savannah State | IT engineer |
| ALT | LOS | Jerod Phillips | 9 | Martin | Northeastern State | real estate agent |
| ALT | DEEP | John Jenkins | 11 | Eck | St. Mary’s | sales executive |
| ALT | BJ | Brad Freeman | 11 | Clark | Mississippi State | sports park director |
Ravens at Bills, 6:30 p.m. CBS Paramount+
The final officiating crew of the weekend will be headed by Carl Cheffers, who is in his 25th season and 17th as referee. This is Cheffers’s 20th postseason assignment, including 6 Wild Card Playoffs, 8 Divisional Playoffs, 3 Conference Championships, and Super Bowls LI, LV, and LVII. All three of his Super Bowl assignments were as a referee.
| Yrs | 2024 crew | College | Occupation | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 51 | Carl Cheffers | 25 | California-Irvine | sales manager | |
| U | 22 | Brandon Cruse | 3 | Cheffers | South Dakota School of Mines & Technology | management consultant |
| DJ | 63 | Mike Carr | 8 | Cheffers | Wisconsin | athletic director |
| LJ | 98 | Greg Bradley | 16 | Hill | Tennessee | chemical engineer |
| FJ | 57 | Joe Blubaugh | 5 | Rogers | Pittsburg State | regional sales manager |
| SJ | 33 | Nate Jones | 6 | Cheffers | Rutgers | firefighter/EMT FORMER NFL PLAYER |
| BJ | 133 | Martin Hankins | 2 | Cheffers | Memphis | court clerk |
| RO | Chad Adams | 7 | Blakeman | Cincinnati | operations | |
| RA | Ken Hall | 4 | Wrolstad | |||
| ALT | R | Land Clark | 7 | Sevier Valley Tech | chief building official | |
| ALT | U | Paul King | 16 | Clark | Nichols College | teacher |
| ALT | LOS | Patrick Turner | 11 | Blake | Cal State-Long Beach | plant manager |
| ALT | DEEP | Dale Shaw | 12 | Eck | Allegheny | pharmaceutical sales |
| ALT | BJ | John Hussey | 23 | Hussey | Idaho State | nonprofit founder and CEO |
Post a comment using Wordpress.com, Twitter, Facebook, or Google account:
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Anonymous
January 13, 2025 at 12:56 pm
Based on these assignments, I’m guessing that the conference championship referees will be Clete Blakeman and Shawn Hochuli. Also, the Super Bowl assignment is wide open because none of these four worked as alternates last week. If I could make a guess, I’ll have to go with Smith, because he just has gotten better each year and he definitely deserves one
Anonymous
January 13, 2025 at 1:00 pm
Given this lineup, that means that the Conference Championship referees will be coming from the WC round alternates. Options are: Blake, Eck, Hill, Hochuli, Novak and Rogers.
With that in mind, I’d put my money on Hochuli and Novak getting the CC games (with Torbert and Martin as alternates)
I’d go one step farther to think that Smith will get the SB nod, with Cheffers being the alternate.
Anonymous
January 13, 2025 at 2:46 pm
So one of these four gentlemen will be the Super Bowl referee? Can you comment / answer? Jorge Molina
Anonymous
January 13, 2025 at 4:31 pm
Well the Superbowl umpire is clear: congrats Bryan Neale!
Anonymous
January 13, 2025 at 5:17 pm
Is it standard for a referee to be assigned as an alternate in a position like back judge? (John Hussey on the Cheffers crew, as listed)
Anonymous
January 13, 2025 at 5:56 pm
Torbert is lucky he got the only indoor game!
Anonymous
January 13, 2025 at 11:40 pm
I’m thinking Hochuli and Blakeman for the Conference Championships and Smith for the SB. Hill and Hussey as alternates for the Conference Championships and Torbert the alternate for the SB. Novak will get snubbed again from getting an onfield assignment.
Anonymous
January 14, 2025 at 2:33 am
SJ for Superbowl Boris Cheek
DJ Kent Payne
FJ Mearl Robinson or
U Brian Neale
LJ Tim Podraza
R Shawn Smith,Ron Torbert or Carl Cheffers or Clay Martin
Conference Championship Crews Prediction
R Clete Blakeman Shawn Hochuli
U Terry Killens. Mark Pellis
DJ Jerod Phillips Patrick Holt
LJ Rusty Baynes Jeff Seeman
FJ Anthony Flemming Eugene Hall
SJ Chad Hill. Don Willard
BJ Terrence Miles/Grantis Bell Todd Prukop/Grantis Bell
Anonymous
January 14, 2025 at 5:59 am
I watched a lot of games with martin and i dont see how he ia better then vinovic or hussey to get a divisonal round game
The SB has to be either cheffers or smith
Tolbert was last year
Anonymous
January 14, 2025 at 1:01 pm
Picks for SB
R: Shawn Smith
U: Bryan Neale
DJ: Kent Payne
LJ: Tim Podraza
FJ: Mearl Robinson
SJ: James Coleman
BJ: Jonah Monroe
Anonymous
January 14, 2025 at 3:23 pm
Vinovich was the Super Bowl R last year and 2020, Cheffers was 2023 and 2021 and Torbert was 2022, so don’t rule him out.
With Neale as the likely U, that potentially indicates Smith as the R. Neale was the U on his crew for several years until he moved to Rogers this season.
Anonymous
January 15, 2025 at 11:02 pm
Adrian Hill was far and away the best white hat this year. That man calls a beautifully clean game.