NFL Officiating Observatory
NFL referee stats 2026: penalties per game by crew chief
TL;DR
Through Week 7 of 2026, NFL games average 14.7 accepted penalties. The most flags per game have come in games worked by Scott Novak (20.1), Craig Wrolstad (18.0), Adrian Hill (17.8). Each crew chief's page lists his season and career numbers, style and most common calls.
| Crew chief | 2026 games | 2026 flags / game | 2015–25 flags / game | Career style |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Novak | 7 | 20.1 | 11.7 | Let them play |
| Craig Wrolstad | 6 | 18.0 | 12.3 | Few but costly |
| Adrian Hill | 5 | 17.8 | 12.8 | Game-changers |
| Alex Moore | 6 | 17.7 | 16.1 | Stop-and-start |
| Brad Allen | 6 | 15.2 | 12.1 | Let them play |
| Clete Blakeman | 6 | 15.2 | 12.9 | Stop-and-start |
| Shawn Hochuli | 6 | 14.3 | 13.3 | Game-changers |
| Alan Eck | 6 | 14.2 | 10.9 | Few but costly |
| Alex Kemp | 6 | 14.0 | 12.9 | Game-changers |
| John Hussey | 6 | 14.0 | 11.9 | Few but costly |
| Bill Vinovich | 6 | 13.7 | 11.0 | Let them play |
| Land Clark | 7 | 13.4 | 11.9 | Game-changers |
| Carl Cheffers | 7 | 13.4 | 13.3 | Game-changers |
| Ron Torbert | 6 | 13.2 | 12.6 | Game-changers |
| Shawn Smith | 7 | 12.9 | 12.3 | Game-changers |
| Brad Rogers | 7 | 12.1 | 12.5 | Game-changers |
| Clay Martin | 7 | 11.6 | 12.0 | Few but costly |
Former crew chiefs (since 2015)
| Crew chief | Seasons in the data | Games | Flags / game |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tra Blake | 2022–2024 | 48 | 12.1 |
| Jerome Boger | 2015–2022 | 124 | 12.9 |
| Tony Corrente | 2015–2021 | 107 | 12.5 |
| Walt Anderson | 2015–2019 | 76 | 15.0 |
| John Parry | 2015–2018 | 60 | 13.1 |
| Peter Morelli | 2015–2018 | 60 | 13.3 |
| Walt Coleman | 2015–2018 | 62 | 13.0 |
| Ed Hochuli | 2015–2017 | 46 | 14.1 |
| Gene Steratore | 2015–2017 | 45 | 12.2 |
| Jeff Triplette | 2015–2017 | 45 | 14.4 |
| Terry McAulay | 2015–2017 | 43 | 14.6 |
Flags per game are raw averages; league levels vary by season (league average 12.6 per game in 2015–25, 14.7 in 2026 through Week 7).
Accepted penalties in regular-season games each crew chief worked. Crew chiefs lead a seven-official crew; the data doesn't say which official threw each flag.