NFL referees have been under fire throughout the 2025–26 season. It has often felt as though officials were deciding games, leaving fans around the league calling for reform this offseason.
While a controversial call in the regular season can go viral, a missed or questionable call in the playoffs can result in a team being eliminated from contention. The importance of accuracy grows with each round, and the NFL strives to assign its best officiating crews to the biggest matchups.
With four games on the Divisional Round schedule, four different officiating crews have been assigned. None of those crews worked a game during the Wild Card round last weekend.
Here is more on the referees for the 2026 NFL Divisional Round games.
MORE 2026 NFL PLAYOFFS:
Referees for NFL Divisional Round
Bills-Broncos
| Position | Referee |
| Referee/Crew Chief | Carl Cheffers |
| Umpire | Mark Pellis |
| Down Judge | Jerod Phillips |
| Line Judge | Rusty Baynes |
| Field Judge | Jabir Walker |
| Side Judge | Allen Baynes |
| Back Judge | Scott Helverson |
49ers-Seahawks
| Position | Referee |
| Referee/Crew Chief | John Hussey |
| Umpire | Roy Ellison |
| Down Judge | Danny Short |
| Line Judge | Tim Podraza |
| Field Judge | Nate Jones |
| Side Judge | Boris Cheek |
| Back Judge | Martin Hankins |
Texans-Patriots
| Position | Referee |
| Referee/Crew Chief | Shawn Smith |
| Umpire | Scott Walker. |
| Down Judge | Dana McKenzie |
| Line Judge | Julian Mapp |
| Field Judge | Jason Ledet |
| Side Judge | Eugene Hall |
| Back Judge | Grantis Bell |
Rams-Bears
| Position | Referee |
| Referee/Crew Chief | Shawn Hochuli |
| Umpire | Bryan Neale |
| Down Judge | Patrick Holt |
| Line Judge | Brian Perry |
| Field Judge | Anthony Flemming |
| Side Judge | Chad Hill |
| Back Judge | Greg Steed |
NFL officials’ on-field responsibilities
| Position | Primary Location & Focus |
| Referee | 10-12 yards deep in the offensive backfield. Wears the distinctive white hat. |
| Umpire | 10-12 yards deep in the offensive backfield, near the Referee. |
| Down Judge | On the sideline, directly on the LOS. Works opposite the Line Judge. |
| Line Judge | On the sideline, directly on the LOS. Works opposite the Down Judge. |
| Field Judge | 20 yards deep in the defensive backfield, on the same side as the Line Judge. |
| Side Judge | 20 yards deep in the defensive backfield, on the same side as the Down Judge. |
| Back Judge | 25 yards deep in the defensive backfield, usually near the tight end side. |
The Crew Chiefs: The Referee is the final authority on all rulings, acting as the crew chief and focusing primarily on the quarterback (monitoring for roughing the passer and intentional grounding). The Umpire is focused on the interior linemen, watching for offensive holding and illegal blocks at the line of scrimmage, in addition to checking player equipment and counting offensive players.
The Sideline & Clock Monitors: The Down Judge and Line Judge patrol opposite sidelines, ensuring players are not offsides or encroaching and ruling on forward progress. The Down Judge also directs the chain crew. Deeper in the secondary, the Field Judge and Side Judge are positioned 20 yards off the line. They mirror each other, watching the widest receivers for pass interference and illegal contact, and marking plays that go out of bounds. The Field Judge is responsible for the 25-second play clock, while the Side Judge serves as the backup game clock operator.
The Deep Central Monitor: The Back Judge stands the deepest, typically focusing on the area between the safeties. Their central responsibilities include tracking the 40/25-second play clock, ruling on the validity of catches in the deep middle, and watching for action around the end zone and goalposts.
