The game between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football in Week 8 is going to be one of the most anticipated games of the NFL calendar. Marking the first game that Aaron Rodgers is going to play against the team where he won four MVPs and a Super Bowl championship, cementing himself as one of the all-time greats, the stakes are going to be at an unprecedented high.
With the entire football world focusing on such a marquee game in a deserving primetime spot, the league will want to ensure that no controversies emerge from the game. On their end, the biggest hurdle the NFL would like to counter is anything related to the officiating. With that in mind, who are they appointing as the referee for the game?
Referee for Steelers vs. Packers
The Steelers’ defense has lived on generating turnovers, as they rank just 22nd in the league on PFSN’s Defense Impact. As a result, their focus has to be solely on generating some big plays on Jordan Love.
But the man of the moment is undoubtedly going to be Rodgers, who has been solid so far this season, ranking 14th on PFSN’s QB Impact. With all eyes on him, it’s going to be interesting to see how he fares against his former organization.
Going for experience and pedigree, second-generation official Shawn Hochuli, who is the son of legendary referee Ed Hochuli, will be the man calling the action down the middle. With eight years of experience in the role, he is among the most qualified men for the job.
Starting off as a side judge in 2014, he was promoted to the referee designations four years later. However, in recent years, he has been amongst the most divisive figures in the game with a few controversial moments.
The biggest came when he assessed legendary NFL quarterback and the GOAT, Tom Brady, with his first career unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in 2022, during a Divisional Round game.
He once came into the spotlight last season during the NFC Championship Game when he tried to enforce a rare rule that would award the Philadelphia Eagles an automatic touchdown after the Washington Commanders committed multiple encroachment penalties on successive snaps. It led to the game being dead for a while.
This year, he is spearheading a crew featuring:
- Umpire: Larry Smith
- Down Judge: Patrick Holt
- Line Judge: Tim Podraza
- Field Judge: Jason Ledet
- Side Judge: Jim Quirk
- Back Judge: Jimmy Russell
- Replay Official: Jamie Nicholson
- Replay Assistant: Adam Choate
This season, his crew has the fourth-most penalties out of all officiating units, with 108 calls through seven games. That number remains sky high even when considering it on a per-game basis, ranking sixth-highest.
