2024 Wild Card Playoffs
NFL assigns officiating crews for the 2024-25 Wild Card Playoffs
The six referees for Wild Card Weekend have been announced.
Football Zebras has confirmed the referees for the Wild Card Playoffs. This is the fifth year of the expanded playoff system with six Wild Card Playoff games. Full officiating crews will be posted when they become available.
In 2020, the NFL moved to five alternates for the early postseason rounds, which will continue this season. The alternate officials are 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. Officials who have alternate assignments are still eligible for an on-field assignment in the Divisional Playoffs or Conference Championships. Past practice is that the on-field Wild Card officials do not work another on-field assignment, although it is possible to see a double assignment for some isolated reasons. In any event, none of the officials listed here, including the alternates, would be receiving a Super Bowl assignment, other than as an alternate.
All times are Eastern. 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).
AFC Wild Card: Chargers at Texans, 4:30 p.m. NBC Peacock
Land Clark will be the referee for the Chargers-Texans wild card game, receiving his 1st postseason assignment in his 7th season and 5th as referee. Clark has only had 5 postseason-eligible seasons.
| Yrs | 2024 crew | College | Occupation | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 130 | Land Clark | 7 | Sevier Valley Tech | chief building official | |
| U | 121 | Paul King | 16 | Clark | Nichols College | teacher |
| DJ | 68 | Tom Stephan | 26 | Clark | Pittsburg State | retired business broker |
| LJ | 101 | Carl Johnson | 21 | Hussey | Nicholls State | retired sales manager, former full-time official |
| FJ | 50 | Aaron Santi | 10 | Vinovich | Southern Oregon | middle school principal |
| SJ | 114 | Dominique Pender | 5 | Clark | Howard | trade support, finance and banking |
| BJ | 88 | Brad Freeman | 11 | Clark | Mississippi State | sports park director |
| RO | Jamie Nicholson | 7 | Hochuli | Ferris State | teacher | |
| RA | Adam Choate | 1 | Hochuli | Louisiana Tech | petroleum landman | |
| ALT | R | Shawn Hochuli | 11 | Claremont | financial advisor | |
| ALT | U | James Carter | 2 | Martin | insurance | |
| ALT | DJ | Patrick Holt | 6 | Hochuli | North Carolina State | IT manager |
| ALT | FJ | Joe Blubaugh | 5 | Rogers | Pittsburg State | regional sales manager |
| ALT | BJ | Tony Josselyn | 7 | Torbert | Eastern Kentucky | probation officer |
AFC Wild Card: Steelers at Ravens, 8:15 p.m. Prime
Alex Kemp who is in his 11th season and 7th as referee, will head the crew as the Steelers take on the Ravens. This is Kemp’s 7th postseason assignment, including 6 Wild Card Playoffs and a Divisional Playoff.
| Yrs | 2024 crew | College | Occupation | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 55 | Alex Kemp | 11 | Central Michigan | insurance agent | |
| U | 131 | Mark Pellis | 11 | Novak | Allegheny | financial advisor |
| DJ | 44 | Frank LeBlanc | 5 | Torbert | Lamar Institute of Technology | neighborhood services manager |
| LJ | 59 | Rusty Baynes | 15 | Kemp | Auburn-Montgomery | general manager, safety services |
| FJ | 28 | Sean Petty | 2 | Kemp | ||
| SJ | 36 | Anthony Jeffries | 7 | Rogers | Alabama-Birmingham | medical sales |
| BJ | 78 | Greg Meyer | 23 | Eck | Texas Christian | banker |
| RO | Mike Chase | 8 | Torbert | Arizona State | senior portfolio manager | |
| RA | Julie Johnson | 2 | Kemp | Maryland | coordinator of intramural sports | |
| ALT | R | Clete Blakeman | 17 | Nebraska | attorney | |
| ALT | U | Tra Blake* | 5 | Central Florida | software quality assurance manager | |
| ALT | LJ | Walter Flowers | 2 | Allen | ||
| ALT | FJ | Jason Ledet | 2 | Hochuli | Nicholls State | physical therapy and rehabilitation |
| ALT | BJ | Scott Helverson | 22 | Kemp | Iowa | sales, printing and promotions |
*Blake was a referee in the regular season.
AFC Wild Card: Broncos at Bills, 1 p.m. CBS Paramount+
The crew in Buffalo will be headed by referee Bill Vinovich, who is in his 19th season and 16th as referee. This is his 20th postseason assignment, including 4 Wild Card Playoffs, 7 Divisional Playoffs, 6 Conference Championships, and Super Bowls XLIX, LIV, and LVIII. All three Super Bowl assignments were as a referee.
| Yrs | 2024 crew | College | Occupation | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 52 | Bill Vinovich | 19 | San Diego | certified public accountant | |
| U | 110 | Tab Slaughter | 5 | Eck | Arkansas State | chief operating officer |
| DJ | 9 | Dale Keller | 2 | Vinovich | Nevada-Reno | director of civil engineering |
| LJ | 37 | Tripp Sutter | 6 | Vinovich | Nebraska | biopharmaceutical rep |
| FJ | 26 | Jabir Walker | 10 | Clark | Murray State | middle school teacher |
| SJ | 132 | Frank Steratore | 2 | Wrolstad | sales, sanitary supplies company | |
| BJ | 82 | Jimmy Russell | 6 | Hochuli | Pasco Hernando State | insurance agent |
| RO | Denise Crudup | 5 | Vinovich | Wilmington | accounts payable analyst | |
| RA | Chad Wakefield | 2 | Vinovich | |||
| ALT | R | Adrian Hill | 15 | Buffalo | aerospace software engineer | |
| ALT | U | Steve Woods | 8 | Wrolstad | Wabash | financial advisor |
| ALT | DJ | Jay Bilbo | 2 | Smith | Ottawa (KS) | information technology |
| ALT | SJ | Nate Jones | 6 | Cheffers | Rutgers | firefighter/EMT FORMER NFL PLAYER |
| ALT | BJ | Dino Paganelli | 19 | Smith | Aquinas College | educator |
NFC Wild Card: Packers at Eagles, 4:30 p.m. Fox
Brad Allen is the referee in Philadelphia, who is in his 11th season. This is Allen’s 6th postseason assignment, including 5 Wild Card Playoffs and a Divisional Playoff. Allen was hired directly to the referee position from the ACC in 2014.
| Yrs | 2024 crew | College | Occupation | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 122 | Brad Allen | 11 | Pembroke State | nonprofit CEO | |
| U | 20 | Barry Anderson | 18 | Torbert | North Carolina State | builder/developer |
| DJ | 53 | Sarah Thomas | 10 | Allen | Mobile | sales representative |
| LJ | 85 | Daniel Gallagher | 5 | (swing) | Kent State | athletic programs manager |
| FJ | 15 | Rick Patterson | 29 | Allen | Wofford | banker |
| SJ | 104 | Dale Shaw | 12 | Eck | Allegheny | pharmaceutical sales |
| BJ | 119 | Greg Wilson | 17 | Martin | USC | retired police officer |
| RO | Mike Wimmer | 22 | Smith | NYU | producer | |
| RA | Larry Hill Jr. | 5 | Smith | Hampton | judge | |
| ALT | R | Scott Novak | 11 | Phoenix | sales manager | |
| ALT | U | Scott Campbell | 2 | Blakeman | California-Davis | firefighter |
| ALT | DJ | Mike Carr | 8 | Cheffers | Wisconsin | athletic director |
| ALT | SJ | Dave Hawkshaw | 6 | Martin | Justice Institute of British Columbia | firefighter, former CFL official |
| ALT | BJ | Greg Steed | 22 | Hill | Howard | computer systems analyst |
NFC Wild Card: Commanders at Buccaneers, 8:15 p.m. NBC Peacock
The Sunday night game will have Craig Wrostad at referee. Wrolstad is in his 22nd season and 11th as referee. This is his 15th postseason assignment, including 8 Wild Card Playoffs, 4 Divisional Playoffs, 2 Conference Championships, and Super Bowl XLVII. His Super Bowl assignment was as a field judge.
| Yrs | 2024 crew | College | Occupation | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 4 | Craig Wrolstad | 22 | Washington | athletic director | |
| U | 81 | Roy Ellison | 22 | Hill | Savannah State | IT engineer |
| DJ | 113 | Danny Short | 8 | Wrolstad | North Carolina-Charlotte | executive director, global sales operations |
| LJ | 40 | Brian Bolinger | 8 | Torbert | Indiana State | corporate safety director |
| FJ | 25 | Ryan Dickson | 8 | Torbert | Utah | commercial real estate developer |
| SJ | 7 | Keith Washington | 17 | Torbert | Virginia Military Institute | program financial analyst |
| BJ | 39 | Rich Martinez | 11 | Wrolstad | Canisius | sales manager |
| RO | Roddy Ames | 7 | Rogers | Colby College | attorney | |
| RA | Artenzia Young-Seigler | 5 | Rogers | Paul Quinn College | college professor | |
| ALT | R | Brad Rogers | 8 | Lubbock Christian | college professor | |
| ALT | U | Jim Quirk* | 14 | Hochuli | Middlebury | financial advisor |
| ALT | LJ | Jeff Seeman | 23 | Smith | Minnesota | brokerage sales |
| ALT | SJ | Don Willard | 7 | Blake | Illinois State | physical therapist |
| ALT | BJ | Martin Hankins | 2 | Cheffers | Memphis | court clerk |
*Quirk was a side judge in the regular season
NFC Wild Card: Vikings at Rams, 8:15 p.m. ABC ESPN ESPN2 ESPN+
The final Wild Card officiating crew of the week will be headed by John Hussey, who is in his 23rd season and 10th as referee. This is Hussey’s 18th postseason assignment, including 7 Wild Card Playoffs, 6 Divisional Playoffs, 4 Conference Championships, and Super Bowl XLV. His Super Bowl assignment was as a line judge.
| Yrs | 2024 crew | College | Occupation | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 35 | John Hussey | 23 | Idaho State | nonprofit founder and CEO | |
| U | 77 | Terry Killens | 6 | Hochuli | Penn State | campus security specialist FORMER NFL PLAYER |
| DJ | 8 | Dana McKenzie | 17 | Blakeman | Toledo | claims adjuster |
| LJ | 87 | Tom Eaton | 5 | Blake | Central Florida | fiscal manager |
| FJ | 103 | Eugene Hall | 11 | Cheffers | North Texas | federal agent |
| SJ | 56 | Allen Baynes | 17 | Hussey | Auburn | realtor |
| BJ | 96 | Matt Edwards | 7 | Hussey | Western Michigan | real estate investment specialist |
| RO | Andrew Lambert | 7 | Hussey | Central Virginia Community College | business development | |
| RA | Sebrina Brunson | 5 | Hussey | Florida Atlantic | case specialist | |
| ALT | R | Alan Eck | 9 | Bloomsburg State | tax manager | |
| ALT | U | Tony Michalek | 23 | Hussey | Indiana | chief executive officer |
| ALT | DJ | David Oliver | 8 | Hill | Baker | information systems manager |
| ALT | SJ | James Coleman | 20 | Blakeman | Arkansas | electrical engineer |
| ALT | BJ | Todd Prukop | 16 | Vinovich | Cal State-Fullerton | medical sales representative |
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Anonymous
January 6, 2025 at 2:58 pm
When will the Full Crews be Added for the Playoffs?
Anonymous
January 6, 2025 at 6:31 pm
Replay?
Anonymous
January 7, 2025 at 8:15 pm
Adrian Hill always gets the shaft. He calls a good, clean game. Never gets Steelers games either. Very weird.