The NFL finalized its officiating assignments for championship weekend. This crew will be on the field Sunday night when the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks meet in the NFC Championship Game.
Referee Crew Revealed for Rams-Seahawks NFC Championship Game
Clay Martin will serve as the referee for Sunday’s NFC Championship matchup. It is the first conference championship assignment of his NFL officiating career. The game is scheduled to kick off at 6:30 p.m. ET on Fox and features two division rivals playing for a spot in the Super Bowl.
Martin has been an NFL official since 2015, promoted from umpire to referee in 2018. This is his eighth season in the role and his first conference championship as referee.
Overall, this will be Martin’s seventh career postseason assignment. He previously worked four Wild Card games and two Divisional Round matchups before being assigned to championship weekend. Conference championship crews are typically selected from officials the league trusts in higher-pressure games. Referees are graded all season, and the highest-rated officials continue to earn high-profile games.
Before joining the NFL, Martin built an extensive officiating resume at the college level. He began working Conference USA games in 2007 and later officiated multiple conference championship contests. His bowl assignments included the Outback Bowl, Holiday Bowl, and the East-West Shrine Game.
The officiating crew assigned to the NFC Championship Game includes:
- Referee: Clay Martin
- Umpire: Terry Killens
- Down Judge: David Oliver
- Line Judge: Kent Payne
- Field Judge: Tra Boger
- Side Judge: Anthony Jeffries
- Back Judge: Jonah Monroe
- Replay Official: Chad Adams
- Replay Assistant: Kris Raper
In 2025, games officiated by Martin’s crew favored home teams, which won 62.5% compared with the league’s 53.5% average. Home teams also drew slightly fewer penalties, per Pro Football Reference.
Both teams playing on Sunday have recent experience with Martin as a referee. Seattle was officiated by Martin once during the regular season. The game was a 20-12 win over Jacksonville in Week 6. The Rams also played under Martin once this year. That game was a 34-7 victory over Tampa Bay in Week 12. Over the past five seasons, the Rams are 7-0 in games officiated by Martin. The Seahawks are 4-3.
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Martin also served as the referee for a Rams-Seahawks matchup during the 2024 season that ended in a 26-20 overtime win for Los Angeles. That game included 20 penalties for 178 yards and ranked among the most penalized games that year.
