The NFL playoffs have arrived, which means officiating will be scrutinized more than ever. Every season, all 32 NFL teams have valid complaints about officiating. The Washington Commanders have dealt with questionable officiating in recent weeks. In the Week 15 win over the Saints, the officials temporarily and incorrectly stopped the clock, allowing New Orleans one more play.
Washington is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2020. The Commanders will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. This week, the NFL revealed the officiating crews for all six playoff games, and Craig Wrolstad’s crew has the assignment in Tampa.
What do we know about Wrolstad’s crew? He’s in his 11th season as a Referee and 22nd overall as an NFL official.
Courtesy of the X account @nflrefstats1, we learned more about Wrolstand and his crew.
- Wrolstad’s crew is No. 1 in calling pre-snap penalties.
- Wrolstad’s crew ranks No. 1 in assessing taunting penalties. Why is that important? Mike Evans faces off against Marshon Lattimore, and they have a long history.
- Wrolstad’s crew ranks second in most penalties per game.
- Commanders are the NFL’s most penalized team on third down.
- Commanders No. 1 in the NFL in defensive pass interference penalties.
- Wrolstad’s crew penalizes heavily on first and second downs but much less on third downs.
Excellent information here. Washington’s penalties have been an issue in recent weeks. Lattimore was called for three pass interference penalties in Week 16 vs. Philadelphia, although two were very questionable.
Something else of note here is that Washington’s pre-snap penalties have also been an issue, which Wrolstad’s crew will call every time.
Hopefully, this weekend’s game will not be decided by officiating. Otherwise, it should be a fun, high-scoring battle.