Sports · American Football · 1 hr ago
FAA ground stop forces NFL to change Week 10 officiating assignments
A nationwide FAA ground stop disrupted air travel on Friday after new air traffic control technology caused communications and radar gaps.
The disruption led the NFL to reassign officials for Week 10 games so they could reach games within driving distance of their hometowns.
Some backup referees will take charge of games, while officials usually assigned as referees will work other roles.
Several officials will work more than one game, including Don Willard, who is assigned to Miami-Indianapolis and then Pittsburgh-Cincinnati.
The Panthers-Saints game will have no on-site replay officials or assistants.
The changes matter because officials who do not normally work together may need time to adjust, though a retired official said watching their key assignments remains central to their work.
The NFL says each officiating crew has a backup referee who trains for the role.
The NFL changed its Week 10 officiating assignments after a nationwide FAA ground stop disrupted air travel.
Officials were reassigned to games within driving distance of their hometowns.
Three backup referees were assigned to work as referees, and several officials were scheduled to work more than one game.
The Panthers-Saints game will have no on-site replay officials and assistants, according to CBS Sports.
The outlets give different assignments for backup referee Duane Heydt and for the Titans-Jaguars game.
- Who
- The NFL and its game officials.
- What
- The league changed Week 10 officiating assignments after air travel disruptions.
- When
- The changes were made ahead of Week 10 games on November 14, 2026.
- Where
- NFL games across the United States; some officials were reassigned to games within driving distance of their hometowns.
- Why
- A nationwide FAA ground stop disrupted air travel and threatened officials’ ability to reach games.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
A nationwide FAA ground stop disrupted air travel and led to more than 2,000 cancelled flights.
The NFL announced adjusted officiating assignments for Week 10 games.
- Backup referees
- Three were assigned to work as referees.
- Replay coverage
- Panthers-Saints will have no on-site replay officials and assistants, according to CBS Sports.
- Flight cancellations
- More than 2,000, according to both outlets.
- Assignments
- Daily Mail says Duane Heydt will referee Carolina-New Orleans; CBS Sports says he will work as an umpire.
- Titans-Jaguars
- CBS Sports names Barry Anderson; Daily Mail names him for Jacksonville-Tennessee.
3 sources
What people are saying
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.
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.
He said familiarity and a general crew tempo are real, so we should watch how the officials adjust to each other the first couple series
Posts on X
Don Willard isn’t the only #NFL official doing two games tomorrow as of the current assignments. Willard, the side judge who will serve as referee for @NFLonCBS’ #Dolphins-#Colts game before driving to Cincy to ref @SNFonNBC’s Steelers-#Bengals game, is slated to be joined by
The #NFL’s replay officials and assistants were all in Detroit for a clinic Friday. I’m told by the league office that ALL are able to get to their originally assigned games, with the exception of #Panthers-#Saints . The replay official’s duties for that game will be handled from
With tomorrow’s #NFL games featuring thrown-together officiating crews on new assignments, I asked a longtime (now-retired) NFL official if that presented any specific challenges. He said familiarity and a general crew tempo are real, so we should watch how the officials adjust