The NFL just dropped its Week 1 referee assignments, and if you’re tuning in for the Green Bay Packers versus Minnesota Vikings showdown in Minneapolis, get ready for some serious yellow laundry. Shawn Hochuli’s crew is on the field to kick off the season, and anyone who’s watched his games knows exactly what that means for penalty counts.
Get Ready For The Laundry, Folks
This isn’t some random assignment, and it’s definitely not a crew that likes to keep the game flowing quietly. Hochuli’s officials are notoriously flag-happy, and they’ve earned that reputation. They’re actually the *only* crew in the entire NFL to have ranked among the top four in flags thrown per game in back-to-back seasons. Think about that for a second: two straight years of leading the league in tossing those yellow hankerchiefs. You just know they’re itching to get back out there.
Last year alone, Hochuli’s crew worked 17 regular season games, and get this: they threw fewer than double-digit flags in just *one* of them. We’re talking about a measly eight-flag affair between the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars as their outlier low. Every other game was a penalty-palooza, which doesn’t exactly bode well for a clean opener in Minneapolis.
What Kind of Flags Are We Talking About?
So, what kind of infractions are we going to see called against the Packers and Vikings? Hochuli’s crew has a specific taste in penalties. They didn’t call roughing the passer, unnecessary roughness, offensive pass interference, or defensive pass interference at the same rate as other crews last season. But where they *did* throw flags like crazy was on neutral zone infractions, illegal blocks above the waist, intentional groundings, and defensive holdings. These are the kinds of calls that can derail drives and flip field position in an instant, often for what feel like minor technicalities.
The Packers only saw Hochuli’s crew once last year, in their Week 8 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Even then, his team threw 11 flags for a total of 112 yards, with two penalties even getting declined! And here’s the wild part: that 11-flag game was actually one of their *lowest* marks of the entire regular season. For what it’s worth, the Packers ranked 14th in the NFL in penalties in 2025, and the Vikings weren’t far behind them in 16th. Neither team is exactly a paragon of discipline when it comes to avoiding the officials’ notice.
When the Packers and Vikings kick off next Sunday, keep an eye on the flag count. With Hochuli’s crew running the show, it’s pretty much a guarantee that double-digits are the baseline. Which team handles the constant interruptions better, avoids those specific pet-peeve penalties, and maintains their composure could easily decide who starts their season with a W.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Acme Packing Company.
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