The Pittsburgh Steelers will still travel to Cincinnati to face the Bengals on Sunday night in Week 10, but the game will have a different referee than originally scheduled. Side judge Don Willard has been assigned to lead the officiating crew because disruptions to air travel made it difficult for some officials to reach their games.
The NFL adjusted officiating assignments across the country, reassigning officials to games within driving distance of their hometowns. Willard can reach Cincinnati without flying. The Steelers-Bengals matchup is one of four Week 10 games set to have a different referee.
The other games affected are Carolina Panthers-New Orleans Saints, Jacksonville Jaguars-Tennessee Titans, and Miami Dolphins-Indianapolis Colts. The league’s officiating crews each have a designated backup referee who trains throughout the year to work in that role if needed. Three backup officials—umpires Barry Anderson and Duane Heydt, and side judge Don Willard—will serve as referees this week.
Clete Blakeman had originally been scheduled to referee Steelers-Bengals. His crew entered Week 10 with the fourth-most penalties in the league this season. The rest of the crew will remain in place, and that group ranks fourth in the league for fouls called per game. It is difficult to determine how the change at referee will affect the matchup.
