The New England Patriots and the Houston Texans will square off in an AFC Divisional Round matchup in what should be a defensive battle on Sunday afternoon. So, who was chosen to officiate this game among the league’s referees?
Who Will Be Officiating the Texans-Patriots Game?
Shawn Smith, an 11-year veteran, will be officiating Sunday’s matchup between the Texans and Patriots. Smith is in his eighth season as a referee and his 10th career postseason assignment. Those assignments include five Wild Card games, three Divisional games, and two Conference Championships.
Smith referees do not flag very often compared to the rest of the league’s officials, ranking in the bottom five in total flags thrown. His crew has thrown just 229 total flags this season, which averages out to 14.31 per game.
His crew’s most frequent penalty was false starts, which were called 34 times. That’s followed by offensive holding 29 times, defensive pass interference 20 times, and unnecessary roughness and defensive holding both 14 times.
Smith has officiated just one game between the two teams this season. That game came in Week 13 when the Patriots took on the New York Giants. The Patriots stomped New York in that game with a 33-15 final.
Smith’s crew called only seven penalties in that game, with a relatively even split. Four were called against the Giants, and three were called against the Patriots.
It should be interesting to see the penalty difference as New England ranks in the bottom 10 in terms of penalties committed, while Houston commits the fifth most penalties in the league.
By comparison, New England should have no problem in the penalties department, as they were only flagged twice in their Wild Card win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Houston, on the other hand, was flagged six times in their 30-6 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Houston’s offense will need to play disciplined football, as its most called penalty is offensive holding, which happens to be the second-most frequently enforced penalty from Smith.
Here is the full officiating crew for Sunday night’s Wild Card matchup:
- Referee:Â Shawn Smith
- Umpire:Â Scott Walker
- Down Judge:Â Dana McKenzie
- Line Judge: Julian Mapp
- Field Judge: Jason Ledet
- Side Judge:Â Eugene Hall
- Back Judge:Â Grantis Bell
- Replay Official:Â Andrew Lambert
- Replay Assistant: Julie Johnson
The New England Patriots will host the Houston Texans for a chance to advance to the Conference Championship at 3 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium.
