The NFL finalized its officiating assignments for Championship Sunday. One of those crews will take the field Sunday afternoon when the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos meet in the AFC Championship Game with a Super Bowl berth at stake.
Referee Crew Revealed for Patriots-Broncos AFC Championship Game
Alex Kemp has been assigned as the referee for the AFC Championship Game. Kickoff is Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. The assignment marks the first time Kemp will referee a conference championship after more than a decade working NFL games.
Kemp is in his 12th NFL season and his eighth year serving as a referee following his promotion in 2018. He entered the league in 2014 as a side judge. Before that, he worked as a college official, calling major NCAA Division I games. His background includes Big Ten assignments and multiple postseason games. In 2011, he officiated the BCS National Championship Game. In that game, Auburn and Cam Newton defeated Chip Kelly’s Oregon Ducks.
Sunday’s matchup will be Kemp’s eighth postseason assignment. His playoff experience includes six Wild Card games and one divisional round appearance. Kemp has proven himself a reliable, consistent option in the league throughout his career. While he has not yet officiated a conference championship, he has the opportunity to remain a mainstay in the league and perhaps earn a Super Bowl assignment in the future.
Away from the field, Kemp works as an insurance agent in Greenville, Michigan. He also comes from a family with ties to NFL officiating. His father, Stan Kemp, previously served as both a side judge and referee in the league.
The officiating crew assigned to the AFC Championship Game includes:
- Referee: Alex Kemp
- Umpire: Barry Anderson
- Down Judge: Max Causey
- Line Judge: Tom Eaton
- Field Judge: Mearl Robinson
- Side Judge: James Coleman
- Back Judge: Brad Freeman
- Replay Official: Bob Hubbell
- Replay Assistant: Durwood Manley
During the 2025 regular season, games officiated by Kemp’s crew averaged just over 12 penalties per contest for approximately 112 yards, according to Pro Football Reference. In 2025, home teams won just under half of the games he officiated. It is easy to understand why the NFL has kept Kemp in the postseason rotation while also increasing his responsibilities.
With New England and Denver competing for a spot in the Super Bowl, Kemp and his crew will operate under the usual scrutiny that comes with a conference championship assignment. The goal is to call a game that doesn’t polarize fans.
