The referee assignments for all six Wild Card round games in the 2025 NFL Playoffs were recently released. One of the most intriguing matchups this week will be a showdown between NFC powerhouses, the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers.
What Should Fans Know About Alan Eck Officiating the Eagles vs. 49ers Wild Card Game?
Alan Eck will serve as the referee in the Wild Card Round matchup between the Eagles and 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa. It’s important to note that he will not be joined by his usual crew of officials, as the NFL rotates all crews for the postseason each year.
The officiating crews for this year’s playoffs will have five judges, in addition to the referee and umpire. There are also two handling the replays and five listed as alternates, bringing the total crew to 14 members.
Just Joe Wollan, who is listed as the Replay Official, was part of Eck’s staff during the 2025 regular season, while the rest worked on other referees’ crews.
Here’s the full officiating crew for the Eagles and 49ers matchup:
- Referee: Alan Eck
- Umpire: Paul King
- Down Judge:Â Tom Stephan
- Line Judge: Jeff Seeman
- Field Judge: Dave Hawkshaw
- Side Judge: Dominique Pender
- Back Judge: Tony Josselyn
- Replay Official: Joe Wollan
- Replay Assistant: Ken Hall
- Alternate Referee: Bill Vinovich
- Alternate Umpire: Bryan Neale
- Alternate Down Judge: Frank LeBlanc
- Alternate Field Judge: Mearl Robinson
- Alternate Back Judge: Greg Meyer
Eck is currently in his third season as a referee and will be in his first playoff game in this role. He has worked as an official for the past 10 years and has twice served as an umpire in playoff games during his first seven seasons.
49ers’ Penalty Discipline vs. Eagles’ Defensive Edge Could Decide Wild Card Outcome
The 49ers had a significant advantage over the Eagles in the number of penalties they drew during the 2025 NFL season.
The 49ers received just 83 flags, the second-fewest among all teams behind just the Los Angeles Rams. The Eagles had the 10th-most flags against them this year, with 117.
It will be interesting to see if this plays a role in their Wild Card round matchup, where everything becomes much more crucial.
One way the Eagles could compensate for it, if it becomes a factor, is through a significant defensive advantage. They currently rank No. 7 in PFSN’s NFL Defense Impact Metric, while the 49ers rank just No. 26 for this season.
