Cowboys-Giants Referee Assignment is Sneaky Good for Dallas
It would be great to live in a world where we don't even have to know the names of the referees handling a Cowboys game. Where they just get the calls right, never seem to want to leave their own impact on the game, and slide by unnoticed. But we all know full well that the reality in the NFL is usually the opposite.
Thankfully for Dallas fans, the Week 1 referee assignments for the Cowboys vs. Giants Sunday Night Football matchup are sneaky good for the 'Boys.
The referee for the NYG-DAL game is Adrian Hill.
— NYGfaninCLT (@clt_ny) September 6, 2023
Hill’s crew worked both NYG-MIN games last year, and the pre-season game vs CAR.
Hill is 1 of 4 referees (of 17) where home teams have a sub-.500 winning %, per @RickGosselin9 (Hill: 46.8%, overall: 53.8%).
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Cowboys vs. Giants Week 1 Referees
The Cowboys vs. Giants Sunday Night Football officiating crew will be led by Adrian Hill, and the full list of referees for the game is as follows:
Position | Name | Number | Years Experience |
|---|---|---|---|
Head Referee | Adrian Hill | #29 | 14 |
Umpire | Roy Ellison | #81 | 21 |
Down Judge | David Oliver | #24 | 7 |
Line Judge | Brett Bergman | #17 | 1 |
Field Judge | Mearl Robinson | #31 | 7 |
Side Judge | Jim Quirk | #5 | 13 |
Back Judge | Greg Steed | #12 | 21 |
Replay Official | Roddy Ames | N/A | 6 |
Replay Assistant | Joe Wollan | N/A | 4 |
Hill returns most of the same crew he officiated with last year, wit the only changes being the additions of rookie referee Brett Bergman at line judge and 21-year vet Greg Steed at back judge. Steed comes over from Brad Rogers’ crew.
By far the most noteworthy thing about Hill's officiating stats is the home-team win percentage. Home-field advantage is more than just a popular saying — it's very real in the NFL. Home teams win almost 54% of the time, and playing at home is usually worthe a couple points on the spread.
But when Hill officiates, it's actually road teams who win the majority (53.2%) of the time.
Hill’s crew tended to let teams play in 2022, having ranked 9th (of 17) in flags thrown per game. But in both 2020 and 2021 they ranked No. 6, so we could see a little more referee involvement than is ideal on Sunday night.
Cowboys fans will happily tolerate play slowing down couple extra penalty flags if it means a better chance of overcoming the Giants' home-field advantage though.
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