As if the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Wild-Card playoff matchup against the Baltimore Ravens couldn’t get any more difficult, the Black and Gold have received dreaded officiating news ahead of Saturday’s game.
Alex Kemp has been selected as the head official for Saturday’s Wild-Card matchup, and during the 2024 regular season, over 80% of home teams in games he officiated walked away victorious. This could spell disaster for the Steelers, who are heading into a fiery Ravens environment in Baltimore.
There is a clear discrepancy when comparing the league-average home team win percentage of 53% to the games Kemp has officiated. The situation becomes even more complicated when factoring in the Ravens’ struggles with penalties in 2024.
Baltimore is currently the second-most penalized team in terms of yardage and is tied for second in the league for most penalties committed, with 132. However, this may not matter when it comes to Kemp’s officiating.
The #Steelers are getting Alex Kemp as the head official on Saturday.
The home team won 81.25% of the 16 games Kemp officiated in 2024.
The league average home team win % in 2024 was 53.31%.
Let that sink in.
— Tommy Jaggi (@TommyJaggi) January 7, 2025
Tune in to watch the action and drama unfold on Saturday, January 11, at 8:00 PM EST, when the Baltimore Ravens host the Pittsburgh Steelers in an intense Wild-Card playoff matchup.
