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An end-of-season look at where NFL officiating crews rank in a few categories where discretion and controversy tend to apply, listed by referee (with Walt Coleman scheduled to work Seattle's wild-card game Sunday):

The second chart breaks down defensive pass-interference numbers by crew for the last three seasons.

The next chart breaks down offensive pass interference by crew for the 2010 season only.
Note that Coleman's crew has called only one such penalty this season, second-fewest in the league behind Seattle favorite Bill Leavy.

The next chart breaks down the offensive pass-interference calls by crew for the last three seasons.

The final chart shows three-year totals for roughing the passer, by crew.

Seattle fans might remember the controversial roughing penalty against Seahawks defensive end Raheem Brock during the team's defeat at New Orleans in Week 11.

The pivotal play did not draw a fine, tacit admission that referee Mike Carey's crew erred on the call.

Coleman's crews have only four roughing calls over the last three seasons, fewest in the league among referees working continuously since 2008.

Note: All info from ESPN Stats & Information and includes declined penalties.

We've had a season of debatable calls and obscure rulings here in the NFC North, and each Week 15 game provided us new material. In order of occurrence:

The Detroit Lions were the beneficiaries (for once) of a critical decision midway through the fourth quarter of their eventual 23-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On a third-and-goal from the Lions' 2-yard line, the Bucs appeared to have scored a go-ahead touchdown on Josh Freeman's 2-yard pass to tight end Kellen Winslow.

But referee Terry McAulay's crew called Winslow for offensive pass interference, nullifying the touchdown and ultimately forcing the Bucs to settle for a game-tying field goal. It was Winslow's second such penalty of the game, a fact that suggests McAulay's crew was either aware of a tendency to push off or had been "encouraged" to look for it by the Lions' bench.

Across the league, offensive pass interference has been called 75 times over 15 weeks. That averages out to five per week, or less than one per game. Winslow is the only player to have more than one in the same game, according to ESPN Stats & Information's penalty database.

The earlier call, in the first quarter, came after a relatively mild push on middle linebacker DeAndre Levy. The second was an odd-looking play from the start. Winslow did not appear to be the first read, and when Freeman finally lofted him the ball, Winslow literally boxed out Lions safety C.C. Brown, never leaving his feet while making the catch.

Replays showed Winslow put both hands on Brown's chest to achieve a level of separation just before the catch. Although Winslow argued vociferously, I had no beef with McAulay's call.

A few hours later, the Green Bay Packers were hoping to take a 10-point lead over the New England Patriots at halftime when they allowed an epic 71-yard kickoff return to offensive lineman Dan Connolly. Almost immediately, you began filling the mailbag with complaints about a number of purported illegal blocks on the play.

I saw two on the TV replay. One I would consider critical and the second relatively moot.

The first came just as Connolly broke open the return at the Packers' 40-yard line. I immediately noticed Packers fullback Quinn Johnson barreling into linebacker Diyral Briggs, creating a collision that gave Connolly 30 yards of open field.

When you watch the replay a few times, you see Johnson was pushed in the back by Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich. No interpretation is necessary here: It was a bad no-call for Ed Hochuli's crew.

At the end of the return, Patriots running back Sammy Morris shoved place-kicker Mason Crosby to the ground from behind. That could have been ruled a penalty as well. But assuming Hochuli ruled it a spot foul, the Patriots still would have assumed possession inside the Packers' 15-yard line.

Finally, there have been questions from many of you about the final play of Brett Favre's night -- and possibly his career -- in the Minnesota Vikings' 40-14 loss to the Chicago Bears.

Bears rookie defensive end Corey Wootton blew past Vikings left tackle Bryant McKinnie. Wootton grabbed Favre and flipped him to the frozen turf at TCF Bank Stadium. At some point, the ball trickled loose. Should it have been a fumble as well as a sack?

I looked for the two obvious signs on the replay: When did referee Carl Cheffers blow the whistle? And was Favre down when he fumbled?

On the first issue, you can hear a whistle blowing almost simultaneous to the moment when Wootton grabbed Favre. Whether it was early or not, the play was officially over when the ball fell to the ground. Had the whistle blown later, however, it almost certainly would have been ruled a fumble. Favre's left knee landed on Wootton's left knee, meaning he was not down when the ball squirted loose.

(Note: No challenges last week means no change to our most recent Challenge Tracker.)

PHILADELPHIA -- It's wonderful news that Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Austin Collie looks like he'll make a full recovery from a concussion after he was strapped to a backboard and carted from the field in the second quarter of Sunday's Eagles-Colts game. The Eagles were flagged for unnecessary roughness on a defenseless receiver on the play, and the officials provided a confusing explanation following the game.

Eagles safety Quintin Mikell unloaded on Collie after he appeared to make a catch with 2:23 left in the first half. Mikell led with his shoulder and it appeared to be a clean hit as he made contact with Collie, who then pin-balled into Eagles rookie safety Kurt Coleman. After watching several replays, I'm not sure how Coleman could have avoided the helmet-to-helmet contact, which appeared to cause Collie's injury.

A pool reporter asked referee Carl Cheffers and back judge Todd Prukop for a clarification following the game, and that's when things really got interesting. They both agreed that the penalty was actually on Coleman, who sounded stunned about the ruling when reporters showed up at his locker.

Since Collie appeared to have possession of the ball before the hit caused it to pop out, Cheffers was asked to define "defenseless receiver."

"Well, if he is completing the catch, his second foot is not down yet or it's just down, we still give the defenseless receiver protection. So if it is a bang-bang type play, with his second foot coming down, he still gets protection on that play. The fact of the matter is, is that ball was incomplete. So, he has protection throughout that entire process on that play because we don't even have a completion -- at no time did he have possession and become a runner to where he would have transitioned out of being a defenseless receiver."

Well, that really clears things up. Asked what Coleman did to deserve a penalty, Prukop chimed in, "So, he makes contact with the shoulder to the back of the helmet of the receiver."

If you've watched a replay, you know that's flat-out wrong. Coleman never used his shoulder to hit Collie in the back of the helmet. Eagles coach Andy Reid was very careful with his words following the game because he wanted to avoid a fine for criticizing the officials.

"The way the game is today, close things are going to be called in the safe direction," said Reid. "When you're in the heat of it, do you like it? No. but maybe the longevity of the player down the road and for life after football."

Reid went on to say that it was a "bang-bang" play, but some of his players were a little bit more visceral in their responses.

Cornerback Asante Samuel, who had two interceptions in the Eagles' 26-24 win, joked that the league would soon ask defensive backs to wear flags. Coleman, a seventh-round choice out of Ohio State, was still trying to figure out what happened.

"I never lead with my head," he said. "That protects myself and the other players."

He vowed not to change his style and said he wouldn't become "conservative" in how he makes tackles. But it's not like seventh-round draft choices can afford to pay many $50,000 fines, a figure the league has been enamored with in recent weeks. Perhaps the league will review the play and determine that Coleman couldn't have avoided the contact. But then, it's not like defenders have been getting the benefit of the doubt lately.

It was a bad call, but with so much pressure coming from the league office, you can certainly understand how it occurred. It seems like this officiating crew could use some extra film work this week.

PHILADELPHIA -- Hours after their fallen teammate was diagnosed with a concussion and was moving around OK, a couple of Colts defensive backs said they were sympathetic to the Eagles defensive backs who combined on the hit that landed him there.

Watch the replay enough and it becomes clear to me: Quintin Mikell put a shoulder into Collie, which pin-balled him sideways into a helmet-to-helmet hit from Kurt Coleman that seemed simply unavoidable. But Mikell was called for unnecessary roughness on a defenseless receiver.

“No, it didn’t look like intent,” said Aaron Francisco, who has started at free safety for Indianapolis since both Bob Sanders and Melvin Bullitt got hurt. “When a player gets hit by two guys, not really simultaneously but one after another, it’s kind of hard as a defensive back to keep your head out of the way. That guy is getting hit towards you, you don’t know where his head is going to be or whatever.

They have so many rules out there, it’s tough to be a hitter nowadays, you know what I mean?"

Said cornerback Jacob Lacey: “It was a football play, it looked like a clean hit. You don’t wish that on anybody, or want anybody to be hurt or anything like that. But it looked like a clean hit. The first guy kind of gave him that momentum to swing into the other guy.”

After Collie was down on his back for an extended period of time, he was secured to a backboard that was wheeled off the field. Peyton Manning ran over to tell him everyone was praying for him.

“You hate to see that,” Manning said. “Coach [Jim] Caldwell told us early it was a concussion, which you don’t like to hear but it’s certainly better news that what everybody feared at that point.”

I interpreted replays as showing that Collie made a catch and had started to run with possession, which he lost when he was hit. But he was ruled defenseless and the pass was called incomplete.

Referee Carl Cheffers and back judge Todd Prukop told a pool reporter that the call should have been against Coleman, not Mikell but otherwise stood by the interpretation on the field. I suspect their bosses will feel differently with the benefit of video.

What the officials said in the pool report served to further complicate, rather than clarify, what unfolded.

Cheffers was asked about the definition of a defenseless receiver.

“Well, if he’s completing the catch, his second foot is not down yet or it’s just down, we still give the defenseless receiver protection,” Cheffers said. “So, if it is a bang-bang type play, with his second foot coming down, he still gets protection on that play. The fact of the matter is, is that the ball was incomplete.

“So, he has protection throughout that entire process on that play because we don’t even have a completion -- at no time did he has possession and become a runner to where he would have transitioned out of being a defenseless receiver.”

Prukop further complicated things with this answer to what was the cause for the penalty call against Coleman: “So, he makes contact with the shoulder to the back of the helmet of the receiver.” Which is what Mikell did, not Coleman.

Colts coach Caldwell said he thought there was “no question” that the proper call was made and that he was optimistic about Collie’s recovery. He just returned from thumb surgery suffered Oct. 17 at Washington that kept him out of last week’s win over Houston.

“I think he’ll recover quickly,” Caldwell said. “He’ll do OK.”

Tari writes via Facebook: How would you go about researching which NFL officiating crews throw the most laundry? I am curious for the sake of pure argument, but my buddy wants to know for his fantasy league team.

Mike Sando: I have personally tracked assessed penalties and replay challenges since Mike Holmgren complained about officiating in Super Bowl XL. I also went back through records to include data since 2001. ESPN Stats & Information also tracks this information. My replay information is more detailed because it counts booth challenges, but its referee information is superior because it counts declined penalties, not just accepted ones. Its information also breaks down penalty types by crew.

Based on my records, Ron Winter's crews have assessed more penalties per game since 2003 than those headed by any of the 16 other current referees. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Winter's crew is calling more total penalties per game -- accepted plus declined -- than any other crew in 2009.

Scott Green is working the 49ers-Packers game in Week 11. Ed Hochuli is working the Seahawks-Vikings game. I'll check on the Cardinals-Rams referee once I get to the Edward Jones Dome a little later.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Referee 2009 Replay Reversals Don Carey 6 Al Riveron 3 Jerome Boger 2 Terry McAulay 2 John Parry 2 Gene Steratore 2 Mike Carey 1 Carl Cheffers 1 Walt Coleman 1 Tony Corrente 1 Scott Green 1 Ed Hochuli 1 Peter Morelli 1 Jeff Triplette 1 Ron Winter 1 Walt Anderson 0 Bill Leavy 0 AVERAGES 1.5

Based on Jim Mora's general postgame comportment Sunday, the Seahawks' coach is probably fortunate no one asked what role officiating played in the game.

Referee Don Carey, who accounted for five of 19 replay reversals through Week 2, made his league-leading sixth reversal a memorable one when he returned possession to the Bears following Matt Forte's fumble at the Seattle 1-yard line. Linebacker David Hawthorne had recovered for the Seahawks, who held a 13-0 lead at the time.

"A decision will be reversed only when the referee has indisputable visual evidence available to him," the rule book states.

This one appeared inconclusive at best.

Mora's postgame rant against kicker Olindo Mare might have read differently had anyone pressed for his thoughts on Carey's reversal. I doubt he would have the ruling, uh, acceptable.

"If you’re a kicker in the National Football League you should make those kicks -- bottom line," Mora said of Mare. "End of story. Period. No excuses. No wind, doesn’t matter. You’ve gotta makes those kicks. Especially in a game like this, where you’re kicking and fighting and scratching your tail off and you miss those kicks, it’s not acceptable. Not acceptable. Absolutely not acceptable."

Carey suffered two reversals -- and Mike Singletary's ire -- while working the 49ers-Cardinals game in Week 1. He suffered three more reversals in Week 2. The NFL's 17 referees have suffered 26 replay reversals in 48 games this season. More than a third involved calls made by Carey, a rookie referee, and second-year ref Al Riveron.

	Cary Edmondson/US Presswire
	Philip Rivers led the Chargers on a pair of late scoring drives to secure the victory.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Who knew a Chargers-Raiders game would come down to a cat-and-mouse game with less than 30 seconds to go?

The Chargers may have beaten the Raiders for the 12th straight time, but this one was far from easy.

'MNF' Coverage BILLS-PATRIOTS • Recap: Patriots rally • Graham: Brady is clutch • Bryant: Pats squeak by Bills • Mike Reiss' Patriots blog CHARGERS-RAIDERS • Recap: Chargers gut it out • Williamson: Sneaky Chargers

“Yeah, just because we’ve beaten them a lot lately people think it would be easy,” San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers said. “It wasn’t easy.”

No, San Diego needed some final-second gamesmanship to pull off its 24-20 season-opening victory over the suddenly stout and game Oakland Raiders.

The final drama in this brilliant game was created by Oakland’s husky coach, Tom Cable. With the Chargers lined up with four receivers, Cable rumbled onto the field to call a timeout with 21 seconds to go.

The timeout gave the Chargers a chance to adjust.

They were indeed going to throw the ball on second-and-goal from the 5-yard line, trailing 20-17. But Cable made San Diego coach Norv Turner go to the playbook again.

Turner introduced a new play the Chargers just stated to practice late last week.

“I really liked it [in practice],” Rivers said late Monday night.

Now, Rivers loves it.

The play was a draw-type handoff to shifty tailback Darren Sproles. Sproles skirted right up the middle and into the end zone for an easy score with 18 seconds to go.

Maybe that timeout shouldn’t have been called, after all.

“That timeout helped,” Rivers said.

Oakland star cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said the Raiders were expecting San Diego to pass both before the timeout (right call) and after the timeout (wrong call).

“Norv is good at those little details things,” Asomugha said. “It was an incredible finish.”

San Diego gained 166 of its 317 total offensive yards on its final two drives, and the Chargers did it without starting offensive linemen Nick Hardwick and Louis Vasquez.

Here are some observations:

The Raiders are better: The mere fact that San Diego had to fight back with touchdowns in its final two drives shows that the Raiders are improved.

The entire San Diego locker room was praising Oakland for becoming a better team. Oakland set an NFL record for six straight seasons with 11 losses or more from 2003-08. That streak may be in jeopardy if the Raiders play as balanced as they did Monday night.

“That team is much improved,” San Diego linebacker Shawne Merriman said. “They’ve been adding top draft picks the past several years and it’s really paying off.”

Added Rivers: “They look like they are much better.”

Despite the pain of the loss, Cable was happy with the progress and you get the feeling that the Raiders, who play at Kansas City on Sunday, feel like they are onto something.

“We’re going to be OK,” Asomugha said.

The Chargers gutted out this win: When Hardwick and Vasquez went out in the third quarter, the Chargers looked lost.

“It wasn’t going well,” Rivers said.

But with the young Scott Mruczkowski and Brandyn Dombrowski playing, the Chargers got better in the fourth quarter. San Diego erupted in the fourth quarter with 166 yards.

“We just stuck with it and it came together,” Rivers said.

Added Dombrowski: "We just gave everything we had to get this win."

The Chargers are hopeful both the injuries to Hardwick, the anchor of the unit, and Vasquez won't be long-term issues.

The call: Raiders fans are going to be upset for a long time as a result of the call that took a touchdown away from rookie receiver Louis Murphy late in the first half. The Raiders had to settle for a field goal.

So, they lost four points on the call. And they lost the game by four points. Here is the official explanation from Carl Cheffers:

“Let me just grab the [rule] book here, and I’m going to read you what the book says. We had a situation where the receiver caught the pass in the air and as he is coming down to the ground, he is actually going to the ground. That’s a defined term in our rule book, a player, a receiver who is going to the ground. The rule book says, if a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass, with or without contact by opponent -- so that can be on his own. In this case, he got hit by an opponent -- he must maintain control of the ball after he touches the ground, whether in the field of play or in the end zone. If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete. That wasn’t the case. What we ruled, what we saw in replay, was that he was going to the ground, as he came down the ball came loose, he lost control of the ball, the ball skidded along the ground, he eventually completely lost control of the ball. So, by rule, by what we saw in review, it’s an incomplete pass.”

Seymour is going to help the Raiders: New Oakland defensive end Richard Seymour played very well in his Raiders debut. He helped the entire defense against the run and the pass. San Diego had only 77 yards rushing. Oakland was 31st in the NFL against the run last year.

Seymour had six tackles and two sacks.

“He gives them a spark,” Rivers said.

Russell, Murphy could be a nice team: The Raiders thought they won the game on a 57-yard touchdown pass from JaMarcus Russell to Louis Murphy on fourth-and-14 with 2:34 to go.

Murphy looks great. In fact, the fourth-round pick from Florida looks much better than first-round pick Darrius Heyward-Bey, who had no catches and two drops.

Russell is still a work in progress. He completed just 12 of 30 passes.

One game at a time: Winning in the final seconds is much better than losing in the final seconds. San Diego opened the 2008 season by losing at home to Carolina. It started a 4-8 skid for the Chargers.

This training camp, San Diego vowed to take it one game at a time.

“That’s what we did tonight,” Merriman said. “We just hung in there and worried about this game.”

Even though it took all game, the Chargers' patience paid off.

	Jim Rogash/Getty Images
	After a layoff of 20 months, Tom Brady finally gets another chance to finish a football game.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

Carl Cheffers tweeted his referee's whistle to start the 25-second play clock.

At that moment, Tom Brady was just another man.

His three Super Bowl rings, two Super Bowl MVP awards and four Pro Bowl selections didn't matter a smidgen. Brady had been aided off the field because of a knee injury. He'd been replaced by a backup.

The contest, only three series old, went on without him. So did the New England Patriots' next 15 games. Brady watched them on television from his home.

"The game doesn't stop for anybody. It just doesn't," Brady said in a recent interview with ESPN. "You get hurt, the doctors come out, they wheel you off the field and the ref blows the whistle for play and the game continues. That's exactly what should happen.

Tom Brady #12 QB New England Patriots 2007 STATS CMP% YDS TD INT RAT 68.9 4,806 50 8 117.2

"This game is bigger than any player that's ever played this game. You realize how fortunate you are to be a part of it when you can't participate."

On Monday night, for the first time since Kansas City Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard crashed into his left knee on opening day 2008, Brady will play a game that counts. The Patriots will host the Buffalo Bills in Gillette Stadium on the season premiere of "Monday Night Football."

The game will feature plenty of storylines and pageantry. Terrell Owens will make his Bills debut. The teams will wear throwback uniforms to mark the AFL's 50th anniversary. The Patriots will introduce their all-time team at halftime.

Brady has been waiting a long time for this. The last time he finished a game was 20 months ago in Super Bowl XLII, where the New York Giants stunningly denied the Patriots their perfect season.

Brady acknowledged this week that the loss still haunts him, but he doesn't need a reminder to prevent him from overlooking the long regular season ahead.

When you go from observant passer to passive observer -- leg propped on a pillow while you watch your teammates move on without you on TV -- a realization sets in.

"You've got to earn it every week," Brady said. "If you think you're entitled to anything in this job, go sit out a year and tell me about the entitlement.

"There's nothing guaranteed, and you've got to go out there and earn the respect of your coaches and your teammates so that you have the right and the privilege to go out and lead them."

One of the greatest quarterbacks of his generation is motivated, but he has been trying to downplay his eagerness for Monday night to arrive.

Unlike last summer, when a foot injury kept him from taking a preseason snap, Brady played in all four exhibitions to help him cope with the mental aspect of his recovery. He had two knee ligaments reattached and needed to feel some heat, take a hit, make some throws.

Brady called the preseason work "critical" to his return.

"It's invaluable for a quarterback," Brady said. "We don't get hit in practice, and the important part is you've got to get used to guys being around you so you can understand how long you can hold onto the ball. ... You want to hold it as long as you can to allow your receivers time to get open to be able to make the throw.

"You get a feel for that in the preseason games and the movement in the pocket that you need. That's been really important."

He suggests he has gotten past any jitters pertaining to the knee, but that doesn't mean Patriots fans are equally secure with their team's tenuous quarterback situation.

Last year's Patriots went 11-5 with Matt Cassel at quarterback, losing the AFC East title to the Miami Dolphins on a tiebreaker and becoming the first team in 23 years to win 11 games and not make the playoffs. It's safe to assume a healthy Brady would have made enough of a difference to edge the Patriots into the postseason.

If Brady goes down again this year, the Patriots' season will crumble with him. Cassel now plays for the Chiefs, and the Patriots have chosen to keep only two quarterbacks on their active roster.

Brady's backup is undrafted rookie Brian Hoyer. Isaiah Stanback, a former Dallas Cowboys receiver who hasn't played quarterback since he left the University of Washington two years ago, is on the practice squad.

	Geoff Burke/US Presswire
	The Patriots had a brief scare this preseason when Albert Haynesworth took down Tom Brady, who fell awkwardly on his shoulder.

The delicate nature of Brady's condition was driven home Aug. 28, when he was driven into the ground by Washington Redskins mammoth Albert Haynesworth. Brady fell awkwardly on his throwing shoulder. Patriots fans held their breath.

Any uneasiness, however, is overridden by the anticipation of an encore performance Brady didn't have the chance to deliver last year. Brady bombed the NFL record book in 2007 and guided the Patriots within one drive of a 19-0 season.

Further capturing the imagination of fans and fantasy owners is the fact 2007 was Randy Moss' and Wes Welker's first year in New England's offense.

In May, both Moss and Welker expressed their excitement over grand possibilities now that they've mastered the Patriots playbook and Brady's back.

"The sky's the limit for this offense," Moss told ESPN.com. "I think that we could be a little bit better than two years ago.

"I'm very excited for us as an offense. I'm excited for us as a team. There's a lot of good things about Tom Brady coming back that excites the people, the fans, the coaches and the players around here.

"All we can hope is to come out with smoking guns."

Patriots coach Bill Belichick put the kibosh on any more such braggadocio. Moss hasn't granted an interview since then. Follow-up questions about matching 2007's gaudy statistics have been answered diplomatically.

"We were really blessed a couple years ago to have the year we did," Brady said on Wednesday's conference call. "But it's an entirely new year with different challenges, different teams we're facing, different schemes. We're running different plays. We have different players. A lot of things had to come together two years ago."

A few ticks after 7 p.m. Monday, the Patriots' most important component will be back in the huddle and surrounded by his teammates again.

All those anxieties and hopes will pulsate under the gloaming at Gillette Stadium.

Then referee Scott Green will blow his whistle to start the play clock.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Referee 2008 Games Worked Booth- initiated Challenges Gene Steratore 14 11 Ron Winter 14 11 Tony Corrente 13 10 Ed Hochuli 14 8 Peter Morelli 13 5 Walt Anderson 12 5 Jerome Boger 13 4 Terry McAulay 13 4 Walt Coleman 14 3 Scott Green 13 3 Jeff Triplette 13 2 Bill Leavy 13 2 John Parry 13 2 Al Riveron 14 2 Carl Cheffers 13 1 Bill Carollo 13 1 Mike Carey 11 1 AVERAGES 13.1 4.4

Replay officials have challenged rulings more frequently since the last time we pointed out wide disparities in replay rates during the final 2 minutes of halves.

Four referees hadn't faced a single booth-initiated challenge through Week 13. Those four referees have faced five such challenges in the last two weeks.

The challenge Walt Coleman faced in Baltimore was only the third raised against him this season in the final 2 minutes of a half, according to information I have tracked since 2003. Referees Gene Steratore, Ron Winter, Tony Corrente and Ed Hochuli have faced a combined 40 such challenges.

The NFL assigns the same replay officials to the same referees as part of an overall effort to foster continuity among crews.

If replay officials applied the same standards each game, we might expect referees to face a similar number of booth-initiated challenges over time.

That was not the case in past seasons and it isn't the case in 2008. The inconsistent numbers raise the possibility of inconsistent standards for challenges. 

The chart shows booth-initiated challenges by referee. NFL games featured 33 total challenges in Week 15, a season high even without the Monday night game. Total challenges have risen each week since Week 12 (from 19 to 25 to 27 to 33).

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Referee Penalties Assessed Per Game Replay Challenges Replay Reversals Jeff Triplette 15.3 10 3 Ron Winter 15.1 10 3 Jerome Boger 14.7 3 0 Walt Anderson 13.3 11 3 Tony Corrente 13.0 9 4 Bill Carollo 13.0 5 3 Ed Hochuli 12.7 10 4 John Parry 12.7 6 0 Bill Leavy 12.0 6 4 Peter Morelli 11.7 9 5 Terry McAulay 11.1 7 2 Al Riveron 10.9 5 2 Mike Carey 10.6 4 1 Gene Steratore 10.3 11 3 Carl Cheffers 10.2 6 3 Scott Green 10.1 8 5 Walt Coleman 9.4 4 1 AVERAGES 12.1 7.3 2.7

Scott Green's crew assessed zero penalties against the Patriots. Al Riveron's crew assessed one penalty against the Browns.

Those figures helped bring down the overall numbers for Week 8, despite the Rams' protests.

The chart breaks down crews by referee, penalties assessed per game, replay challenges and replay reversals.

The number of replay challenges per game increased every season from 2003 to 2007, but the numbers are down to their lowest levels since 2004 this season. Fewer challenges mean fewer interruptions, generally a good thing in my view.

John Parry and Jerome Boger remained the only referees without a replay reversal this season. Peter Morelli joined Green with a league-high five reversals after initially disallowing a Chiefs touchdown pass against the Jets.

Available for download: full crew-by-crew breakdowns for penalties and replay.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Referee Penalties Assessed Per Game Replay Challenges Replay Reversals Jeff Triplette 16.2 9 2 Ron Winter 15.3 10 3 Jerome Boger 15.0 3 0 Walt Anderson 13.2 10 3 Ed Hochuli 12.7 10 4 Bill Carollo 12.7 3 2 Peter Morelli 12.4 7 3 John Parry 12.3 6 0 Bill Leavy 12.0 6 4 Tony Corrente 11.8 6 2 Al Riveron 11.4 5 2 Terry McAulay 11.3 7 2 Mike Carey 11.0 4 1 Scott Green 10.3 8 5 Carl Cheffers 10.2 6 3 Gene Steratore 10.0 10 2 Walt Coleman 9.3 3 1 AVERAGES 12.2 6.6 2.3

NFL officiating crews have assessed between 9.3 and 16.2 penalties per game this season. The range was between 8.9 and 14.3 last season.

The chart breaks down crews by referee, penalties assessed per game, replay challenges and replay reversals.

John Parry and Jerome Boger remained the only referees without a replay reversal this season. Parry shot down Cowboys coach Wade Phillips, who had been 4-0 in challenges this season.

Ron Winter, working the Colts-Packers game, became the fifth referee to suffer two reversals in a game this season. He reversed Indy touchdowns on consecutive plays, but the Colts scored on the third try.

Scott Green, working the Seahawks-Bucs game, suffered his league-high fifth reversal of the season when Mike Holmgren challenged Ike Hilliard's fumble.

Assessed penalties have climbed over the last three weeks. The crews of Walt Anderson (49ers-Giants), Boger (Jets-Raiders) and Winter (Colts-Packers) each assessed more than 20 penalties during Week 7, the first time this season three crews have reached that total.

Referee Penalties Assessed Per Game Replay Challenges Replay Reversals Jeff Triplette 17.4 7 2 Ron Winter 14.2 8 1 Peter Morelli 14.0 5 3 Jerome Boger 13.8 3 0 Ed Hochuli 13.7 9 4 Bill Carollo 13.4 2 2 John Parry 12.2 5 0 Tony Corrente 11.8 6 2 Terry McAulay 11.8 6 2 Bill Leavy 11.8 6 4 Scott Green 11.4 7 4 Al Riveron 11.2 4 1 Mike Carey 11.0 4 1 Walt Anderson 11.0 9 2 Carl Cheffers 9.6 5 2 Walt Coleman 9.3 3 1 Gene Steratore 9.0 10 2 AVERAGES 12.1 5.8 1.9

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

NFL officiating crews have assessed between nine and 17.4 penalties per game this season. The range was between 8.9 and 14.3 last season.

The chart breaks down crews by referee, penalties assessed per game, replay challenges and replay reversals.

NFC West teams have lamented several influential calls already this season. A few:

• In Week 1, Gene Steratore's crew flagged 49ers defensive lineman Ray McDonald for roughing the passer on a third-and-9 play. The disputed penalty helped the Cardinals sustain a third-quarter touchdown drive as they extended a 13-10 lead to 20-10.
• In Week 2, Jerome Boger's crew flagged Seahawks safety Deon Grant for pass interference, negating an interception in the end zone. Replays revealed the call as dubious. The 49ers scored a touchdown shortly thereafter.
  
• In Week 7, Peter Morelli's crew ruled Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo down, negating a lost fumble. The call appeared unwarranted.
  

Referees and their crews make the right calls hundreds of times each season. That buys them little relief when calls go wrong. Ed Hochuli knows this better than most.

I'm keeping a log of questionable calls involving NFC West teams this season. The three listed above stood out. If you have others, let me know. Thanks in advance.