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NFL referees for AFC, NFC championship: Full list of assignments for 2024 conference title games

There are just two games to go between now and the Super Bowl to decide which teams will have a chance to win the title of best team in the NFL for the 2023-24 season.

As with all big games like this, there has been a lot of talk surrounding officiating and how it could affect things. Shawn Smith has been named the head referee of the AFC championship matchup between the Chiefs and the Ravens, which has caused some chatter because of his penchant for favoring road teams, but the majority of the talk has been surrounding Clete Blakeman.

Blakeman has a controversial history with the Lions and will lead the NFC championship officiating crew. That's something that has several Detroit fans a bit unhappy, as he was involved in a controversial -- but ultimately correct -- call in a 2019 Lions loss against the Packers.

Here's what to know about these two officiating crews:

NFC championship referees 2024

Referee Clete Blakeman will lead the officiating crew for Lions vs. 49ers on Sunday: 

AFC championship referees 2024

The Ravens vs. Chiefs crew will be led by Shawn Smith. Here is the full list of officials for Chiefs vs. Ravens on Sunday: 

NFL officials on-field responsibilities 

There are multiple different types of officials with different responsibilities when it comes to game day, and it can be confusing as to what those are by individual.

Below is the description of what each on-field official handles, via  NFL Operations : 

Lining up 10-12 yards behind the line of scrimmage in the offensive backfield, the referee is the white-hat wearing leader of the crew who signals all penalties and is the final authority on all rulings. Below are the referee's assignments on run plays, pass plays, and special-teams plays.

• Run plays : Watches snap; follows QB until action moves downfield; then follows runner to determine forward progress and position of the ball; determines first downs or if a measurement is necessary.
• Pass plays : Shadows QB from drop to release; drops back as the play starts and monitors offensive tackles; turns attention solely to QB as defense approaches; watches for roughing the passer; rules on intentional grounding; makes the decision whether a loose ball is a fumble or incomplete pass.
• Special teams : Watches for running into/roughing the kicker.

Lining up next to the referee 10-12 yards behind the line of scrimmage in the offensive backfield, the umpire primarily watches for holding and blocking fouls. He or she also reviews player equipment, counts offensive players on the field, and marks off penalty yardage. Below are the umpire's assignments on run plays, pass plays, and special-teams plays.

• Run plays : Watches for false starts on offensive line; watches for illegal blocks by the offense or any defensive fouls at the line of scrimmage.
• Pass plays : Watches for false stars on offensive line; on screens, turns attention to intended receiver to make sure he is able to run his route; watches for blocking penalties.
• Special teams : Watches for any penalties.

Lining up on the sideline and looking directly down the line of scrimmage, the down judge directs the chain crew, informs the ref of the down, and rules on sideline plays on the nearest half of the field. Below are the down judge's assignments on run plays, pass plays, and special-teams plays.

• Run plays : Watches for offside or encroachment; monitors sideline; determines when/if a runner is out of bounds; marks runner's forward progress.
• Pass plays : Watches nearest receiver for first seven yards of his route until he is clear the point of legal contact for defensive backs; watches for pass interference.
• Special teams : Watches for offside and encroachment; rules on penalties involving blockers and defenders on trick plays.

Lining up on the sideline opposite the down judge and looking directly down the line of scrimmage, the line judge has similar duties without the chain crew direction. Below are the line judge's assignments on run plays, pass plays, and special-teams plays.

• Run plays : Watches for offside and encroachment; watches blockers and defenders on nearest side for penalties.
• Pass plays : Watches for offside and encroachment on nearest side of field; follows nearest receiver for seven yards downfield; moves into offensive backfield to determine if pass is forwards or backwards; makes sure passer is behind the line of scrimmage when he throws the ball.
• Special teams : Stays at line of scrimmage on punts to make sure only players on the ends of the line move downfield before the kick; rules on whether the kick crosses the line of scrimmage; watches kicking team for penalties.

Field judge

Lining up on the same sideline as the line judge but 20 yards behind the line of scrimmage in the defensive backfield, the field judge counts defensive players and watches wide receivers/defensive backs on the nearest side of the field. Below are the field judge's assignments on run plays, pass plays, and special-teams plays.

• Run plays : Watches widest receiver's blocking and looks for illegal use of hands or holding; determines if/when a runner on nearest side of the field goes out of bounds.
• Pass plays : Watches widest receiver on nearest side of the field and makes sure he is able to run his route without interference; rules on whether a pass to nearest side of the field is incomplete; rules on whether a receiver is in or out of bounds when he makes a catch; watches for pass interference.
• Special teams : Rules on blocking during punts; lines up under goal posts to rule on whether field goals and extra points are good.

Lining up on the same sideline as the down judge but 20 yards behind the line of scrimmage in the defensive backfield, the side judge backs up the clock operator, signals to the ref when time expires for each quarter and counts defensive players. Below are the side judge's assignments on run plays, pass plays, and special-teams plays.

• Special teams : Watches punt returner and any action around him; joins umpire in defensive backfield on field goal and PAT attempts; watches for penalties along the line of scrimmage.

Usually lining up on the tight end's side, the back judge is positioned 25 yards behind the line of scrimmage in the defensive backfield. The back judge keeps track of the play clock and all TV breaks, counts defensive players, and focuses on tight ends and all the players on the end of the lines. Below are the back judge's assignments on run plays, pass plays, and special-teams plays.

• Run plays : Watches tight end for illegal blocking or defensive penalties.
• Pass plays : Watches tight end for illegal use of hands or defensive interference; rules on whether a receiver made a legal catch; determines who recovered a fumble.
• Special teams : Rules on fair catches; lines up under goal posts to rule on whether field goals and extra points are good.

Crissy Froyd is a content producer at The Sporting News.

Week 1 Referee assignment is great for Chargers, bad news for Raiders

By jason reed | sep 4, 2024.

The LA Chargers host the Las Vegas Raiders in the first game of the season on Sunday in what is also the first game of the Jim Harbaugh era. This is the perfect team for the Chargers to start the season against as the Bolts can not only get revenge in Week 1 against a bitter foe but can start the season against a lesser opponent.

Despite having a good pass rush and a star wideout in Davante Adams, the Raiders are not projected to be a very good team in 2024. Las Vegas has one of the worst quarterback situations in the league and has the classic trait of a Tom Telesco team of lacking depth in key areas .

Of course, anything can happen on any given Sunday and the Raiders cannot be taken lightly by the Chargers or else the Bolts will be punched in the mouth. That being said, for the Chargers to lose this game they would truly have to beat themselves and there are two key ways an NFL team can do that: turnovers and penalties.

Only the Chargers can control the turnover differential but the team cannot control how aggressive the referee crew is with the whistle. Thankfully, the perfect referee was assigned to the Chargers-Raiders game in Week 1 as fans should not see many yellow flags on Sunday.

Your referee for #Chargers - #Raiders on Sunday is ... Scott Novak. His crew called the least penalties in the league last season. — Joe Reedy (@joereedy) September 4, 2024

Week 1 referee assignment is good news for Chargers, bad news for Raiders

Last season the Chargers and Raiders were two of the least penalized teams in the entire league . The Chargers finished with the third-fewest penalties in the league (and that will only improve under Jim Harbaugh) while the Raiders finished with the fewest penalties.

If this game turns into a penalty fest then anything could truly happen and the talent on the field will matter less and less. The more penalties there are in the game, the better chance an underdog has of pulling off an upset.

The fewer penalties, though, means that the talent should win outright in a head-to-head matchup. Of course, the NFL tends to surprise fans every single Sunday and this is not always the case but it does remove at least some of the volatility.

With two mistake-free teams playing with a referee who notoriously swallows his whistle, fans should see a clean game where the two teams are simply allowed to play football. And if that is the case, it becomes much easier for a team with Herbert to emerge as the obvious favorite over a team with Gardner Minshew and Co.

Again, anything can happen and Chargers fans cannot take a win to the bank simply because of the referee assignment. But fans can at least sleep easier on Saturday night knowing that the officiating  shouldn't be a problem on Sunday.

2024 Roster of NFL Officials

The complete 2024 NFL roster of officials.

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The officials.

• Responsibilities & Positions

History of the Official

Officiating development.

• Behind the Stripes
• 2024 Officials Roster

The following is the 2024 NFL roster of officials:

Down Judges

Line Judges

Field Judges

Side Judges

Back Judges

Replay Officials

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NFL Officials: Preparing for Success

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Seahawks are first beneficiaries of NFL’s expanded ‘replay assist’ rule

Dre’Mont Jones was about to be flagged for roughing the passer, right up until a new rule overturned the call.

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The Seattle Seahawks stymied the Denver Broncos offense all game, committing no defensive penalties on the afternoon.

There was one penalty that was called that, thanks to a new NFL rule, was overturned.

In the fourth quarter with the Seahawks up 26-13, Leonard Williams and Dre’Mont Jones pressured and hit Broncos quarterback Bo Nix into an incomplete pass. The officials threw a flag for roughing the passer on Jones, turning what would’ve been 2nd and 10 into a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down for the Broncos.

When lead official Brad Allen turned on his microphone, he announced the flag had been picked up:

“After replay assist, there is no foul for a personal foul to the head and neck area. Second down.”

As Field Gulls addressed earlier in the offseason , the NFL expanded replay official capabilities to include reviews of roughing the passer, late hits out of bounds, and intentional grounding penalties. These penalties can be advised for overturn when “specific, objective aspects of a play when clear and obvious video evidence is present,” the rule states.

Among the NFL's new rules: Replay assist was expanded to review roughing the passer, intentional grounding, and late hits out of bounds penalties for possible overturn. The Seahawks were the first team to benefit from the roughing the passer rule on this Dre'Mont Jones hit: pic.twitter.com/0upJI4wNOv — Mookie Alexander (@mookiealexander) September 9, 2024

It should be noted that replay assist can only overturn a called penalty into a no-call, not the other way around, so in a hypothetical world where Jones clearly roughed Nix but no flag was thrown, the replay assist could not recommend a penalty be assessed after the fact.

Even within the context of roughing the passer, it’s only for a specific type of call. This is what the rulebook states :

“If a foul is called for roughing the passer based only on a hit to the passer’s head or neck area and there is clear and obvious video evidence that the defender did not make any contact with the passer’s head or neck area.”

Jones’ hit met the criteria for review, and the replay showed beyond dispute that the overturn was justified.

This was not the only instance of the replay assist program during the 1 pm PT window. In the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Washington Commanders game, the Bucs thought they had a 32-yard screen pass to Rachaad White wiped out due to an ineligible man downfield penalty on Graham Barton, who was adjudged to have been beyond one yard of the line of scrimmage at the time the pass was thrown. Referee Bill Vinovich initially announced the flag, but replay assist stepped in to overturn what was a clearly erroneous call. Replay assist already had the ability to step in on ineligible man downfield penalties prior to the 2024 season.

While this is far from a perfect system, these two examples are positives instances of the value of replay assist in fixing clear and obvious officiating mistakes without slowing the game to a halt.

In This Stream

2024 nfl season, week 1: seahawks kick off mike macdonald era vs. broncos.

• Nothing secondary about that Seahawks defense!
• Seahawks are first team to benefit from NFL’s updated replay assist rule
• Winners and Losers from Seahawks 26, Broncos 20

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Cowboys' Brandon Aubrey nearly ties NFL record for longest field goal, almost tried from 71

Aubrey broke the record for the most made field goals in a row to start a career in 2023 (35).

Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy believes in 2023 All-Pro Brandon Aubrey more than most people believe in anything and anyone. 

Aubrey made an NFL-record 35 field goals in a row to start his NFL career, and with a league-high 36 made field goals on his 38 attempts in 2023. With just seconds remaining in the first half of the Cowboys' Week 1 matchup at the Cleveland Browns , McCarthy sent Aubrey out to kick a 66-yard field goal, which if made, would tie Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker's record. Aubrey actually did drain the kick, but a delay of game caused the record-tying make to be erased. McCarthy looked frustrated on the sideline and slightly confused with the referee. Perhaps he thought the official would be adding more time to the play clock. 

Wow 😩 Brandon Aubrey would have tied the NFL record for longest FG with this attempt... But there was a delay of game penalty. 📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/DpDiVfcRkz — FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 8, 2024

McCarthy briefly sent Aubrey back out to attempt the 71-yarder after the penalty, but he thought better of it after the Browns called a timeout to make him think about. Aubrey did drill field goals of 57 and 40 in the first half, and the 57-yarder was the longest made field goal in a Cowboys season opener. Dallas leads 27-3 in the third quarter. 

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Referees Leave a Lot To Be Desired in Tulane Green Wave, Kansas State Wildcats Game

Kenneth teape | 23 hours ago.

• Tulane Green Wave

Week 2 was a huge matchup for the Tulane Green Wave , as they hosted the Kansas State Wildcats out of the Big 12 at Yulman Stadium.

Looking to cement their status as one of the best G5 teams in the nation, this was the Green Wave’s chance to do that. Ultimately, they fell just short of pulling off the upset.

Tulane led by 10 at halftime, but a scoreless third quarter led to the Wildcats climbing back into the game and tying it up. An early touchdown in the fourth quarter from Darian Mensah to tight end Alex Bauman gave them a seven-point lead once again.

Kansas State responded with a 75-yard touchdown drive of their own to tie it up. They took the lead for good just over three minutes later.

At the Wildcats’ 25-yard line, a fumble occurred that was returned by the defense for a touchdown, giving the visitors a 34-27 lead, which would end up being the final score of the game .

The No. 17 ranked team got all they could handle in their visit to Yulman Stadium, but it wasn’t enough for Tulane to leave victorious. After the game, head coach Jon Sumrall did not hold back when expressing his frustrations with the job the referees did.

“I didn’t get very many good explanations in the second half with the officiating,” Sumrall said, via Guerry Smith of NOLA.com . “It left a lot to be desired. That’s probably about all I want to say. Big 12 crew, in case you were wondering.”

The biggest call of the game came with 17 seconds remaining. Mensah hit Yulkeith Brown for a touchdown, needing just the extra point to tie the game.

But, the play was nullified as Dontae Fleming drew a pass interference penalty for blocking in the end zone as Brown made the reception in the corner. Two plays later, the game was essentially over when Mensah threw an interception.

“There’s not much I can do,” Mensah said. “If they call it, they call it.”

Overall, the Green Wave were flagged nine times for 80 yards and the Wildcats were hit seven times for 55. As is customary in college football, the referee crew for an out-of-conference game is from the road team’s conference.

The loss drops Tulane’s record all-time at Yulman Stadium against power conferences to 0-5. They have another huge game next week as they will travel to Norman to face off against the Oklahoma Sooners .

KENNETH TEAPE

Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at [email protected].

2024 preseason Assignments

2024 preseason

Referee assignments for preseason week 1.

At least one official is getting a tryout at the referee position

Scott Novak is getting warmed up for the first game nationally televised game of the first full preseason week as the Patriots take on the visiting Panthers in Foxborough, Mass., on Thursday evening.

Brandon Cruse will get a tryout at the referee position in New Jersey on Saturday. Cruse is in his third season in the NFL, working at the umpire position. He was a referee in the Big 12 Conference and headed the officiating crew in the National Championship Game between Ohio State and Alabama in January 2021. He worked a wild card playoff game in his only season he was eligible for an NFL playoff assignment.

There may be another referee tryout this week that has not been confirmed.

All times are Eastern. Live games on NFL Network will be blacked out and telecast on local stations in both teams’ markets. (In some blackouts, a game scheduled to air on tape delay game will be aired live on NFL Network as a substitute game.) All games are available live on NFL+.

The  2024 officiating crews are listed here , but note that there may be substitutions from the regular crew personnel each week.

Thursday, Aug. 8

Friday, aug. 9, saturday, aug. 10, sunday, aug. 11.

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Ben Austro is the editor and founder of Football Zebras and the author of So You Think You Know Football?: The Armchair Ref's Guide to the Official Rules ( on sale now )

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August 8, 2024 at 8:13 pm

Why are there assignments from 10+ years ago here? Just asking, and welcome back to fall (almost).

August 9, 2024 at 5:49 pm

Can anyone here explain the new kickoff rules? I don’t get them AT ALL! And what’s the point of them????

August 10, 2024 at 2:39 am

The new kickoff rules are explained here: https://www.footballzebras.com/2024/07/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-nfls-new-kickoff-rule/

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