2025 Divisional Playoffs
Cheffers, Hussey, Smith, and Hochuli are Divisional Playoff referees
The 4 referees for the Divisional Playoffs have been announced
Football Zebras has confirmed the referees for the Divisional Playoffs. Officials are listed with their uniform number, years of NFL experience (including this season), the crew each official worked with in the regular season (by the referee’s name), college, and outside occupation.
Five alternates are assigned to each game: a referee, an umpire, a line of scrimmage official (down judge or line judge), a deep wing official (field judge or side judge), and a back judge.
The prior playoff experience that is listed for the crew chief includes his service as an NFL official, including as referee and any other crew position (excluding alternate assignments). Also of note, the eventual Super Bowl officials are on the field for this weekend’s games, but not all are from the same crew.
All times are Eastern.
AFC Divisional: Bills at Broncos, 4:30 p.m. CBS Paramount+
Carl Cheffers is the referee, who is in his 26th season and 18th as referee. This is Cheffers’s 21st postseason assignment, including 6 Wild Card Playoffs, 9 Divisional Playoffs, 3 Conference Championships, and Super Bowls LI, LV, and LVII. All three of his Super Bowl assignments were as a referee.
| Yrs | 2025 crew | College | Occupation | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 51 | Carl Cheffers | 26 | California-Irvine | sales manager | |
| U | 131 | Mark Pellis | 12 | Clark | Allegheny | financial advisor |
| DJ | 6 | Jerod Phillips | 10 | Martin | Northeastern State | real estate agent |
| LJ | 59 | Rusty Baynes | 16 | Kemp | Auburn-Montgomery | general manager, safety services |
| FJ | 26 | Jabir Walker | 11 | Clark | Murray State | middle school teacher |
| SJ | 56 | Allen Baynes | 18 | Hussey | Auburn | realtor |
| BJ | 93 | Scott Helverson | 23 | Kemp | Iowa | sales, printing and promotions |
| RO | Kevin Stine | 8 | Torbert | Alabama-Birmingham | regional sales manager | |
| RA | Marty Abezetian | 1 | Torbert | |||
| ALT | R | Brad Allen | 12 | Pembroke State | nonprofit CEO | |
| ALT | U | Duane Heydt | 4 | Hussey | South Carolina | statistician and real-estate investor |
| ALT | LOS | Carl Johnson | 22 | Hussey | Nicholls State | retired sales manager, former full-time official |
| ALT | DEEP | Tra Boger | 4 | Hill | Tulane | assistant principal |
| ALT | BJ | Jimmy Russell | 7 | Hochuli | Pasco Hernando State | insurance agent |
NFC Divisional: 49ers at Seahawks, 8 p.m. Fox Fox One
John Hussey is the referee, who is in his 24th season and 11th as referee. This is Hussey’s 19th postseason assignment, including 7 Wild Card Playoffs, 7 Divisional Playoffs, 4 Conference Championships, and Super Bowl XLV. His Super Bowl assignment was as a line judge.
| Yrs | 2025 crew | College | Occupation | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 35 | John Hussey | 24 | Idaho State | nonprofit founder and CEO | |
| U | 81 | Roy Ellison | 23 | Hill | Savannah State | IT engineer |
| DJ | 113 | Danny Short | 9 | Wrolstad | North Carolina-Charlotte | executive director, global sales operations |
| LJ | 47 | Tim Podraza | 18 | Hochuli | Nebraska | business performance consultant |
| FJ | 33 | Nate Jones | 7 | Cheffers | Rutgers | firefighter/EMT FORMER NFL PLAYER |
| SJ | 41 | Boris Cheek | 30 | Smith | Morgan State | retired director of operations and management |
| BJ | 133 | Martin Hankins | 3 | Cheffers | Memphis | court clerk |
| RO | Matt Sumstine | 8 | Novak | Phoenix | real estate | |
| RA | Brian Davies | 3 | Novak | |||
| ALT | R | Ron Torbert | 16 | Michigan State | attorney | |
| ALT | U | Paul King | 17 | (swing) | Nichols College | teacher |
| ALT | LOS | Tom Stephan | 27 | Clark | Pittsburg State | retired business broker |
| ALT | DEEP | Don Willard | 8 | Novak | Illinois State | physical therapist |
| ALT | BJ | Greg Yette | 16 | Rogers | Howard | defense contractor |
AFC Divisional: Texans at Patriots, 3 p.m. ABC ESPN ESPN2 ESPN+
Shawn Smith is the referee, who is in his 11th season and 8th as referee. This is Smith’s 10th postseason assignment, including 5 Wild Card Playoffs, 3 Divisional Playoffs and 2 Conference Championships.
| Yrs | 2025 crew | College | Occupation | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 14 | Shawn Smith | 11 | Ferris State | finance | |
| U | 11 | Scott Walker | 2 | Vinovich | Florida A&M | insurance agent |
| DJ | 8 | Dana McKenzie | 18 | Moore | Toledo | claims adjuster |
| LJ | 10 | Julian Mapp | 17 | Hill | Grambling State | software quality assurance tester |
| FJ | 72 | Jason Ledet | 3 | Hochuli | Nicholls State | physical therapy and rehabilitation |
| SJ | 103 | Eugene Hall | 12 | Cheffers | North Texas | federal agent |
| BJ | 27 | Grantis Bell | 6 | Eck | West Virginia | school counselor |
| RO | Andrew Lambert | 8 | Hussey | Central Virginia Community College | business development | |
| RA | Julie Johnson | 3 | Kemp | Maryland | coordinator of intramural sports | |
| ALT | R | Alex Kemp | 12 | Central Michigan | insurance agent | |
| ALT | U | Mike Morton | 4 | Novak | North Carolina | dentist FORMER NFL PLAYER |
| ALT | LOS | Mark Stewart | 8 | Novak | Pittsburg State | rancher |
| ALT | DEEP | Dominique Pender | 6 | Clark | Howard | trade support, finance and banking |
| ALT | BJ | Todd Prukop | 17 | Vinovich | Cal State-Fullerton | medical sales representative |
NFC Divisional: Rams at Bears, 6:30 p.m. NBC Peacock
Shawn Hochuli is the referee, who is in his 12th season and 8th as referee. This is Hochuli’s 10th postseason assignment, including a Wild Card Playoff, 8 Divisional Playoffs, and a Conference Championship.
| Yrs | 2025 crew | College | Occupation | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 83 | Shawn Hochuli | 12 | Claremont | financial advisor | |
| U | 92 | Bryan Neale | 12 | Rogers | Indiana | sales consultant |
| DJ | 106 | Patrick Holt | 7 | Hochuli | North Carolina State | IT manager |
| LJ | 97 | Brian Perry | 2 | Martin | Texas | mutual funds |
| FJ | 90 | Anthony Flemming | 6 | Hussey | Texas A&M-Commerce | senior auditor |
| SJ | 125 | Chad Hill | 8 | Allen | Mississippi | medical sales |
| BJ | 12 | Greg Steed | 23 | Hill | Howard | computer systems analyst |
| RO | Chad Adams | 7 | Blakeman | Cincinnati | operations | |
| RA | Amber Cipriani | 2 | Blakeman | Florida State | sporting goods supply chain analyst | |
| ALT | R | Clete Blakeman | 18 | Nebraska | attorney | |
| ALT | U | Derek Anderson | 2 | Cheffers | Sam Houston State | vice president |
| ALT | LOS | Tripp Sutter | 7 | Vinovich | Nebraska | biopharmaceutical rep |
| ALT | DEEP | Sean Petty | 3 | Kemp | ||
| ALT | BJ | Rich Martinez | 12 | Wrolstad | Canisius | sales manager |
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