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What to know about championship game referees
The NFL announced that veteran official Gene Steratore will serve as referee for Super Bowl LII. But before we get there, we have two championship games to play.
What follows is the pertinent information on Clete Blakeman and Ed Hochuli, the referees who have been assigned to handle this weekend's AFC and NFC Championship Games, respectively. Both will work with all-star playoff crews, designed in part to mitigate any tendencies that might arise from the regular season. But the referee always sets the tone for any crew.
No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 1 New England Patriots
Sunday: 3:05 p.m. ET, CBS | Game HQ
Referee: Clete Blakeman | Jaguars' record in his games: 3-4 | Patriots' record in his games: 2-4
Patriots fans probably remember Blakeman from a 2013 decision to pick up a flag for pass interference in the end zone on the final play of a 24-20 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Quarterback Tom Brady chased Blakeman off the field, seeking an explanation. (Blakeman later said that he deemed the ball uncatchable.) Since then, Blakeman has been one of the NFL's highest-rated referees, having worked Super Bowl 50 and, two years later, earning a spot in the championship round.
If his postseason crew conducts itself similarly to the one he used in the regular season, there won't be many silly flags. Blakeman's crew called one taunting foul and threw one flag for unsportsmanlike conduct all season -- the fewest flags in either category among all crews. His crew also called five offensive pass-interference fouls, the second fewest in the NFL. (The Patriots were called for a total of eight such fouls during the regular season, tied for the most in the league.)
Blakeman did finish on the high end in frequency for roughing the passer, a foul called exclusively by the referee. He threw 10 flags for it, the third most in the NFL.
No. 2 Minnesota Vikings at No. 1 Philadelphia Eagles
Sunday: 6:40 p.m. ET, Fox | Game HQ
Referee: Ed Hochuli | Vikings' record in his games: 11-12 |Eagles' record in his games: 11-7
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Hochuli has worked three Eagles playoff games since 1999: a 2000 divisional-round loss to the Giants, a 2003 divisional-round victory over the Packers and a 2009 wild-card loss to the Cowboys. In 2017, his regular-season crew was much friendlier to defensive backs and less helpful to wide receivers than most of the league's officials. It called the league's highest total of offensive pass-interference calls (18) and the second-lowest total of defensive pass-interference, defensive holding and illegal-contact penalties combined (29). During the regular season, the Eagles (23) and Vikings (21) ranked in the middle of the NFL in such penalties.
This will be Hochuli's second appearance in the 2017 playoffs. He also worked the wild-card game between the Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Rams. That crew called a total of 11 penalties in that game, which the Falcons won 26-13.
http://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/p...-game-referees
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