Officiating Assignment Changes ~ Backups

So, do you think some officiating is going to be worse than usual? You got subs/backups, people working with crews they're not used to, etc. One dude even has to pull double duty!

The ground stop has forced the NFL to scramble its officiating assignments -- with side judge Don Willard now due to serve as the referee for BOTH Dolphins-Colts at 1:00 p.m. ET and Steelers-Bengals at 8:20 p.m. ET. https://t.co/ygrVtmx7ko

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) November 14, 2026

Friday’s nationwide ground stop won’t keep NFL teams from getting to their road games on Sunday. It will, however, impact the ability of officials to get to where they need to be.

The NFL has announced that officiating assignments have changed for Week 10. And the situation will result in a backup referee serving as the referee in two games on the same day.

“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,” the NFL said in a statement. “The changes will necessitate that three backup referees — umpires Barry Anderson and Duane Heydt and side judge Don Willard [pictured] — will work as referees in the following games: Carolina-New Orleans – Duane Heydt; Jacksonville-Tennessee – Barry Anderson; Miami-Indianapolis and Pittsburgh-Cincinnati – Don Willard.

“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 situation creates the likely unprecedented situation of a referee working two games in one day. Willard will handle Dolphins-Colts at 1:00 p.m. ET, and then he’ll make the 109-mile trip from Indianapolis to Cincinnati for the Sunday night game.

Making the unprecedented even more unusual is the fact that Willard’s usual crew (led by referee Scott Novak) wasn’t scheduled to work at all this weekend.

The announcement doesn’t address where the referees for those three games will be working, or what their roles will be. Shawn Smith was scheduled to be the referee for Panthers-Saints, Alex Moore was set to be the referee for Jaguars-Titans, Carl Cheffers was due to be the referee for Dolphins-Colts, and Clete Blakeman was slated to be the referee for Steelers-Bengals.

The league’s statement also doesn’t specify other shifts that were required as to the established crews that work together throughout the regular season.