Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills travel to Denver, Colorado, on Saturday evening to take on Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos in a high-stakes AFC Divisional round game. In a game of this magnitude, the NFL has assigned a referee with plenty of postseason experience in a game between one of the league’s premier offenses and a premier defense.
A Look at the Referees for the Bills-Broncos matchup
Longtime referee Carl Cheffers has been assigned to referee the Bills-Broncos Divisional matchup and has no shortage of playoff experience. The 26-year veteran will referee his 21st postseason game, which includes six Wild Card games, nine Divisional round games, three Conference Championships, and three Super Bowls.
In 16 games this season, Cheffers’ crew has thrown the third-most flags in the entire NFL with 276, according to NFL Penalties. This averages out to just over 17 flags per game, which ranks as the fourth-most in the league.
The most flagged penalties by Cheffers’ crew were false start penalties. They were called 50 times throughout the entire season, followed by offensive holding, which was called 43 times, and defensive pass interference, which was called 19 times.
Cheffers has officiated one Broncos game and one Bills game each this season. The Denver game was a matchup between the Broncos and Dallas Cowboys in Week 8 and saw Cheffers’ crew throw 16 penalties. The penalties were split relatively evenly, as seven went against the Broncos while nine went against the Cowboys.
In the following week, Cheffers’ crew officiated a highly anticipated game between the Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs. His crew called only seven penalties, one of their lowest totals of the season.
The penalty split between the two teams was also relatively even, with four going against the Bills and three against the Chiefs.
Neither team has an advantage when Cheffers officiates their game,s as they both sport a 4-1 record in their last five games officiated by Cheffers.
Cheffers’ crew tends to let the flags fly in games, so both teams will need to play disciplined football if they don’t want penalties to decide the game.
Here is the full officiating crew for Saturday’s Divisional round matchup:
- Umpire: Mark Pellis
- Down Judge: Jerod Phillips
- Line Judge: Rusty Baynes
- Field Judge: Jabir Walker
- Side Judge: Allen Baynes
- Back Judge: Scott Helverson
- Replay Official: Kevin Stine
- Replay Assistant: Marty Abezetian
Kickoff for the first game of the weekend between the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos is set for 4:30 p.m. ET on Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High.
