Want more from Front Office Sports
in your search results?
The NFL is making no schedule changes to its slate of games Sunday amid the travel disruptions arising from the nationwide ground stop Friday by the FAA.
But the league is making adjustments to its officiating assignments to put its officials within driving distance of their assigned games. Those changes will result in three officials working as fill-in referees Sunday, including one of them now being assigned to work an afternoon game in Indianapolis and the night game in Cincinnati.
The NFL confirmed to Front Office Sports that all of Sunday’s games are on as scheduled, with no changes.
That comes after college football made several schedule changes for Saturday’s games, including the Mississippi-Oklahoma game being moved to Sunday.
The two teams participating in the NFL’s game Sunday in Munich, the Patriots and Lions, had already traveled there before Friday’s flight disruptions. It’s the eighth of the NFL’s nine scheduled international games this season.
Sunday’s schedule also includes the 49ers playing at Dallas, the Chiefs playing at Atlanta, and the Texans playing at Cleveland. The Chargers are traveling cross-country to play Monday night in Baltimore.
The NFL said in a written statement about the officiating moves: “Due to the ongoing nationwide impact to air travel this weekend, the NFL has adjusted its officiating assignments for Week 10 games, reassigning officials to games within driving distance of their hometowns.”
According to the league’s announcement, side judge Don Willard and umpires Barry Anderson and Duane Heydt will serve as referees Sunday. The referee is the head of the officiating crew. Those officials are designated as backup referees.
“Each of the league’s 17 officiating crews have a backup referee identified, and that individual trains throughout the year to work at the referee position should the need arise,” the NFL said.
Heydt will be the referee for the Panthers-Saints game in New Orleans. Anderson will be the referee for the Jaguars-Titans game in Nashville.
Willard is now the assigned referee for both the Dolphins-Colts game at 1 p.m. ET in Indianapolis and the Steelers-Bengals game at 8:20 p.m. in Cincinnati.
It was not immediately known whether he would become the first person to officiate two NFL games on the same day. It appears possible that other members of his officiating crew will accompany him on the approximately 110-mile trip from Indianapolis to Cincinnati and also work both games.
Download the FOS App
The business of sports, in your pocket.
Scan the QR code to get the app now.
