THE REF REVIEW

Ron Torbert

Referee · 155 games with data, 2015–2026

12.22accepted penalties/game
league 12.26 · about league avg
101.9penalty yards/game
league 102.3
6.17 / 6.05home / away penalties
league 5.95 / 6.30
0.27declined/game (not counted)
league 0.27; offsetting 0.01

Betting-line results

Favorite against the spread (W-L)85-68
Over-Under-Push vs closing total76-79-0

Outcomes reflect team play; shown for context only. League favorites cover roughly half the time.

Drive interruptions

155 games. Definitions on the methodology page.

MeasureThis crewLeague
Accepted offensive flags on drives with 2+ first downs, per game2.552.43
Same, per 100 drives with 2+ first downs24.923.4
% of those drives ending without points41%41%
% of crew flags in 4th quarter/OT26%26%
% of flags on the play right after a 20+ yd gain4.1%4.0%

Offensive penalties depend on the offense's play. These are descriptive counts, not judgments about any call.

Replay reviews (shown separately)

Replay reviews/challenges per game1.321.35

Mostly initiated by the replay booth or coaches, not the on-field crew.

Drive stalls after offensive flags

155 games · 751 sets of downs with an accepted offensive flag. Method

MeasureThis crewLeague
Sets of downs with an offensive flag that ended in a punt, FG try or turnover on downs54.9%
412 of 751
52.2%
of 14,803
Same, with no offensive flag (baseline)22.8%22.2%
Stalled sets of downs with an offensive flag, per game2.662.47

Offensive penalties are committed by the offense; this describes what followed the flag, not whether the call was right.

Splits

SplitGamesPen/game
Primetime3611.94
Daytime11912.30
Playoffs1111.09 small sample
Regular season14412.31

Top penalty types (per game)

TypeThis refLeague
Offensive Holding2.632.40
False Start2.352.22
Defensive Pass Interference0.951.00
Defensive Holding0.740.75
Unnecessary Roughness0.660.66
Delay of Game0.590.57
Defensive Offside0.490.57
Illegal Block Above the Waist0.390.36
Face Mask0.350.31
Neutral Zone Infraction0.350.46

By season

SeasonGamesPen/gameLeague
20151614.2513.44
20161612.4412.99
20171613.4412.80
20181611.9413.03
2021189.5611.49
20221710.7110.88
20231712.5911.11
20241813.6112.56
20251711.8812.21
2026411.5014.85

Crew (2026, most frequent at each position)

By team

TeamGW-LPen on teamPen on opp
ARI116-55.45.3
ATL107-36.67.1
BAL83-57.56.5
BUF85-36.47.2
CAR95-45.97.9
CHI91-85.45.0
CIN127-55.86.5
CLE112-96.76.2
DAL93-56.15.8
DEN127-56.66.2
DET51-46.63.4
GB126-56.16.2
HOU115-65.05.2
IND84-45.44.6
JAX81-75.54.6
KC74-36.67.4
LA1310-35.34.6
LAC93-65.85.9
LV54-17.26.4
MIA98-15.65.7
MIN53-27.06.8
NE117-46.37.3
NO126-66.26.0
NYG105-54.85.4
NYJ90-97.35.4
OAK41-39.56.2
PHI1210-25.55.4
PIT87-16.08.0
SD30-38.07.0
SEA94-57.66.9
SF127-54.24.8
STL10-112.06.0
TB94-56.37.7
TEN83-57.66.6
WAS115-65.57.6

Most team samples are small; differences are usually noise.