Barry Anderson and Duane Heydt will referee Sunday games after the NFL reassigned officials following Friday’s nationwide ground stop. Anderson will replace Alex Moore for Jaguars-Titans in Tennessee, while Heydt will replace Shawn Smith for Panthers-Saints in New Orleans.
The NFL announced Saturday that officials would be assigned to games within driving distance of their hometowns. All games remain scheduled, with three backup referees taking charge.
Don Willard, a side judge on Scott Novak’s crew, is scheduled to referee two games. He will work Dolphins-Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis at 1 p.m. ET, then drive nearly 110 miles to Cincinnati for Steelers-Bengals, which kicks off at 8:20 p.m. ET.
Carl Cheffers had originally been assigned to the Miami-Indianapolis game, and Clete Blakeman to Pittsburgh-Cincinnati. Willard is a side judge on Scott Novak’s crew and a nine-year NFL official who has worked six postseason games.
Each of the NFL’s 17 officiating crews has a designated backup referee who trains throughout the year for the role.
