The NFL assigned the officiating crews for the divisional round of the playoffs, which includes the Detroit Lions hosting the Washington Commanders on Saturday, January 18th. The Lions will work with a crew that they have not seen in the 2024 season.
Referee Ron Torbert and his crew earned the assignment. His crew has consistently been one of the most flag-happy. Torbert’s crew threw 237 flags in 16 games, topped only by Clete Blakeman’s crew. That includes a Week 8 game between Seattle and Buffalo that featured an astronomical 24 flags. Torbert officiated one Washington game this year, their Week 13 blowout win over the Tennessee Titans. In that game, Torbert’s crew assessed 19 penalties.
His crew is noted for aggressively calling offensive holding and defensive pass interference. The latter infraction could be a big one in Saturday’s game. Detroit (18 times) and Washington (19) were the two most-penalized teams for defensive pass interference in the regular season.
