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INDIANAPOLIS — Watch out for offensive holding penalties in Super Bowl XLVI.

Officials have called only eight penalties for holding on offensive plays during the postseason, six of them against the NFC champion New York Giants. Three of the six were against Chris Snee, with two against David Baas and one against David Diehl.

John Parry is the referee for Super Bowl XLVI. His crew ranked third in most penalties for offensive holding during the regular season.

I've put together a chart from ESPN Stats & Information showing where Parry's crew ranked in various penalties during the 2011 season. Parry is working with an all-star crew, not his usual one. That could affect tendencies.

Parry's low ranking for unnecessary roughness appears offset, at least somewhat, by a higher number of calls for generic personal fouls.

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One NFL head coach rated John Parry as the league's best referee for a confidential survey back in 2008.

San Francisco 49ers fans might recall Parry for the disputed chop-block call he made against running back Frank Gore at Baltimore in Week 12. The flag wiped out a 75-yard touchdown pass to Ted Ginn Jr. in a game the 49ers lost, 16-6.

That call comes to mind this week after the NFL assigned Parry's crew to work the 49ers' divisional playoff game against New Orleans on Saturday.

Coach John Harbaugh called the ruling in Baltimore "unfortunate" and "unlucky" given what he considered that specific penalty's somewhat inconsistent enforcement.

That was the only chop-block penalty Parry's crew called during the regular season. The NFL did not fine Gore for the block. I thought the call was technically accurate, at best, but it did not fulfill the intent of the rule, which was to protect players. Gore had already committed to deliver a low block when tackle Anthony Davis shoved the defender high.

With an assist from ESPN Stats & Information, I've put together a chart showing where Parry's crew ranks among the 17 crews in various penalty calls. The NFL shifts to all-star crews for championship games and the Super Bowl.

Parry's low ranking for unnecessary roughness appears offset, at least somewhat, by a higher number of calls for generic personal fouls.
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If a football team takes on the personality of its head coach and quarterback, then the Detroit Lions are the NFL's most bipolar franchise.

On one end, the Lions are coached by an emerging sideline madman. Already this season, coach Jim Schwartz has been caught cursing at officials, taunting opposing players and creating a postgame fist-pump that has risen to cult status in Detroit.

On the other end, quarterback Matthew Stafford's unflappable steadiness has lent serenity to the huddle even as the Lions faced 20-plus point deficits the past two weeks. If his biography didn't confirm that he grew up in Dallas, I would swear Stafford spent his formative days surfing somewhere in northern California.

"We take on Matt's personality out there on the field," receiver Calvin Johnson said. "I always say that Matt is cool, calm and collected in the huddle, no matter what the situation is."

Monday night, the nation will see for itself when the Lions host the Chicago Bears at Ford Field.

To be sure, Stafford has displayed the enthusiasm of a 23-year-old during the exciting moments of the Lions’ 4-0 start. More importantly, however, he hasn't hung his head in moments of despair. After throwing an interception to end the Lions' first possession Sunday at Cowboys Stadium, Stafford simply walked off the field, slapped his hands together and checked in with offensive coordinator Scott Linehan to explain.

Asked about the pass after the game, Stafford shrugged and said: "It was the right read. Just threw a bad ball."

Asked how he handled a 27-3 deficit in the third quarter, Stafford said: "I think everyone was thinking, we've got to make some plays. That’s the way it is."

I'm sure some people would prefer a more fiery attitude from a team's on-field leader, but I tend to think that Stafford's perspective is a critical element for this team. An excitable young quarterback is far more likely to force throws and make mistakes than one who mostly avoids the emotional roller coaster of a typical game.

That's especially true, of course, when the head coach is going berserk on the sidelines. We first discussed Schwartz’s sideline demeanor after his first season with the Lions, noting he was once the epitome of sideline concentration during his tenure as the Tennessee Titans’ defensive coordinator.

Like many new head coaches who hand off play-calling duties to assistants, Schwartz filled his game-day void by berating officials and falling prey to the disappointments of his rebuilding team. At the time, Schwartz insisted that his sideline icons were Tony Dungy and Tom Landry and said: "When we get this team the way we need to be, you'll see a lot different me. Because if you look at me for all my years in Tennessee, I wasn't that guy with veins popping out of my head. But you can only do that when you have good players and you have confidence in them and they know you really well."

So much for that.

At the end of the Lions' Week 3 victory over the Minnesota Vikings, FOX microphones caught him telling referee Ron Winter’s to "learn the [expletive] rules!"

And in the third quarter last week, Schwartz took exception to Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant's trash-talking to Lions players during a break in the action while officials reviewed his 34-yard catch. Schwartz had immediately challenged it, and when referee John Parry reversed it, Schwartz took of his headset and pointed at Bryant.

His lips were easy to read.

"Hey, hey," Schwartz screamed. "How about that? Incomplete, you mother [expletive]!"

Asked about the episode Monday, Schwartz smiled and said: "I don't think Dez Bryant had a catch after about midway through the first quarter."

Actually, he caught one more -- a 6-yard touchdown in the second quarter. But the point was taken. Bryant didn’t sustain his hot start, or justify his trash-talking, thereafter.

To be clear, Schwartz’s sideline demeanor has never pushed him over the edge or left him unable to do his job. The Lions’ 4-0 start has been characterized by aggressive but sound game management.

And away from the field, Schwartz has a pretty monotone conversational style. His news conferences suggest he has a future in filibustering if he ever decides to step down from coaching. In reality, he is a young coach whose first head-coaching offer came from what was, at the time, the worst franchise in the league. Like everyone else in the Lions organization, he has taken a special measure of pride in their resurrection this season.

But that's how it has worked so far for the 2011 Lions. The coach gets 'em fired up while the quarterback keeps 'em level-headed. So far, it's been a perfect combination.

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.

SAN DIEGO –- The Oakland Raiders apparently wanted company on the dreaded “win out or go home” road to the NFL playoffs.

So the Raiders pushed the San Diego Chargers around the field all day, ensuring their stressful and unlikely journey to the playoffs won’t be a solo ride. After gladly assuming the role of the NFL’s hottest and most dangerous team heading into their favorite month of the year, the Chargers saw their long reign atop the AFC West go on life support after a 28-13 loss to the Raiders.

Things got so bad in San Diego on Sunday that late in the game, when only jubilant Raiders fan remained in the stadium, San Diego’s cheerleading squad was loudly booed during its final number of a forgettable day for the home team. It’s not supposed to be this way for San Diego in December and it’s certainly not the way the previously streaking Chargers planned on opening a stretch of three home games in 11 days.

Sunday’s upset in San Diego was cause for a big celebration in Kansas City hours after the Chiefs improved to 8-4 with a 10-6 win over Denver. Oakland and San Diego are now both 6-6 and trail the Chiefs by two games with four games remaining. Oakland owns the tiebreaker over San Diego based on its season sweep. The Raiders and Chargers are both two games behind in the AFC wild-card race.

If Kansas City wins in San Diego next Sunday, it will eliminate San Diego -- which has won four straight division crowns -- from the AFC West title race. In that scenario, Kansas City would be 9-4 and San Diego would be 6-7. The Chiefs would have a three-game lead with three games to go and they would hold the tiebreaker over San Diego based on a season sweep. Oakland can’t be eliminated next week when it plays at Jacksonville, but the Raiders know they are on thin ice and have to continue to win if they want to advance to the postseason for the first time in eight years. At 3-9, Denver is the only AFC West team eliminated from playoff contention.

“We’ve been in playoff mode for three weeks now,” Oakland fullback Marcel Reece said. “The first two weeks didn’t go well, but we got back to playing Raider football and if we keep that up, we’ll be fine. We know we can play with anybody, but it was nice to get back to doing it today.”

The Chargers were clearly shocked by Sunday’s developments. Well after the game, several pockets of players huddled in the locker room discussing what went wrong on the field.

“This is not where we expected to be,” San Diego defensive lineman Luis Castillo said.

This was San Diego’s first December loss since the Philip Rivers era started in 2006. San Diego entered this month winners of four straight games, including a 22-point win at Indianapolis last week. But the Chargers were run over by a resurgent Oakland ground game, which took over after the Raiders jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter via another San Diego special teams miscue and a Rivers interception.

While keeping its playoff hopes alive, Oakland also reached a major milestone in its journey from the depths of the NFL. The Raiders have won six games for the first time since 2002. The Raiders set an NFL record for futility by losing at least 11 games in seven straight seasons.

“It means we’re improving,” Oakland defensive lineman Tommy Kelly said. “I just want to see it carry over next week.”

The following are some key aspects of the game:

Raiders run through San Diego: If the Raiders can run the ball effectively, they usually win. If they can’t move the ball on the ground, they don’t have much of a chance to win.

“Yes,” Oakland guard Cooper Carlisle said, “that’s the truth in the simplest terms.”

In losing to the Steelers and the Dolphins by a combined 48 points the previous two weeks, the Raiders ran for a total of 77 yards. Sunday, against the top-ranked defense in the NFL, Oakland ran for 251 yards on 52 carries. The Raiders fed San Diego a healthy dose of both Darren McFadden and Michael Bush.

McFadden had 97 yards on 19 carries and Bush added 95 yards on 23 carries. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Raiders sliced through San Diego up the middle, which has been their calling card when the ground game works this season. Oakland had 137 yards on 30 rushing attempts up the middle Sunday. In October, Oakland had 69 rushing yards up the middle against San Diego, which was a season high for the Chargers’ defense this season.

Oakland’s ground success kept the pressure off quarterback Jason Campbell and allowed him to pick his spots, which is when he is at his best. Campbell completed 10 of 16 passes for 117 yards and one touchdown. Oakland will take a 251-117 rush-pass yardage ratio any time.

Oakland made Rivers uncomfortable: San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers completed 23 of 39 passes for 280 yards. But he was never comfortable. The Raiders were always putting heat on him. Rivers was sacked four times.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, Rivers' passer rating against five or more pass-rushers Sunday was 19.9. In the first 11 games of the season under the same pressure, Rivers’ passer rating was 94.2

Because it fell behind by two touchdowns in the first quarter, San Diego ran only eight times for 21 yards. Rookie Ryan Mathews, even though he was healthy for the first time in a month, did not have a carry.

McClain hit legal: Referee John Parry said the helmet-to-helmet hit Oakland rookie middle linebacker Rolando McClain registered on San Diego running back Darren Sproles was legal because Sproles was not defenseless. After spending several moments on the grass, Sproles left the game and he did not return because of a concussion.

The San Diego crowd was incensed McClain wasn’t penalized. Parry’s explanation probably means McClain will not be fined. However, the league has been aggressively fining defenders who lead with their helmet because of concussion concerns.

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.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Position SB43 official From crew of referee ... Referee Terry McAulay McAulay Umpire Roy Ellison Al Riveron Head Linesman Derick Bowers John Parry Line judge Mark Perlman Bill Leavy Field judge Greg Gautreaux Gene Steratore Side judge Michael Banks McAulay Back judge Keith Ferguson Leavy Replay assistant Bob McGrath Riveron

TAMPA, Fla. -- We can more fully analyze officiating for Super Bowl XLIII now that the NFL has announced which officials will comprise referee Terry McAulay's crew Sunday.

The seven on-field officials and replay assistant Bob McGrath come from five crews. That leaves 12 crews unrepresented.

McAulay, first-year referee Al Riveron and veteran referee Bill Leavy each placed two of their crew members in Super Bowl XLIII.

From the NFL: McAulay, who is concluding his 11th season as an NFL game official, served as the referee in Super Bowl XXXIX. The Louisiana State alum has officiated in nine playoff games -- one Super Bowl, five NFL championship games, two divisional playoffs and one wild-card game.

Under the NFL officiating program's evaluation system, the highest-rated officials at each position with the appropriate experience earn the right to work the Super Bowl. Super Bowl officials must have five years of NFL experience and previous playoff assignments.

This crew should have good chemistry. McAulay and side judge Michael Banks have worked together for years. Field judge Greg Gautreaux worked with McAulay for years until joining referee Gene Steratore's crew this season. Head linesman Derick Bowers and back judge Keith Ferguson worked on referee Bill Vinovich's crew before Vinovich retired.

We provided information on McAulay upon learning of his Super Bowl assignment last week. As for McGrath, the replay official, he challenged two calls during the final 2 minutes of halves during the regular season. The league average was 4.8, with four of the 17 replay officials initiating nearly half of booth challenges (41 of 86).

McAulay's crew officiated the AFC divisional playoff game between the Titans and Ravens. The game featured a controversial non-call by the back judge after Baltimore failed to snap the ball before the play clock expired on a critical third-down play. Leavy's crew will supply the back judge for Super Bowl XLIII.

Perlman, the line judge, is the only Super Bowl XLIII official to work the Steelers' most recent Super Bowl appearance, after the 2005 season. To my knowledge, Perlman was not directly involved in the controversial calls associated with that game.

	Denver quarterback Jay Cutler.

Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson

DENVER -- No, Chargers fans, Ed Hochuli will not be officiating next week's game in San Diego.

John Parry's crew is scheduled to work the winner-takes-all game between the Broncos and the Chargers. Hochuli should now be off the hook in the minds of San Diego fans. The Chargers are getting a second chance at the AFC West championship.

Perhaps the weakest division in the NFL this season, the AFC West will be in the spotlight in Week 17 as Denver and San Diego play for the division crown next week and the right to face No. 5 seed Indianapolis in the wild-card round on the weekend of Jan 3-4. Because of the playoff implications, the game has been flexed to prime time Sunday night.

The under-the-lights holiday affair was made possible by a Denver choke job at home against Buffalo, which had nothing to play for. Denver blew a 13-0 lead in the second quarter and ended up losing 30-23 to a team it dominated in nearly every key statistic.

A win would have clinched Denver's first division championship in three years. San Diego had won earlier at Tampa Bay 41-24, setting up next week's clash. Denver players said they were unaware of the Chargers outcome until after their game.

Two weeks ago, Denver was 8-5 and San Diego was 5-8. Yet, thanks to a three-game winning streak by the Chargers and back-to-back Broncos losses in games where a win would have clinched the division, it will be a dramatic Christmas week in the AFC West. If San Diego wins, it will win the division based on a better division record than Denver.

The turn of events gives San Diego new life. Chargers fans have been up in arms since their team was the victim of an incorrect call by officials. In the final seconds of the team's first 2008 clash in Denver, Hochuli blew a call on a Cutler fumble that San Diego recovered. The Broncos then scored a touchdown and a two-point conversion to beat the Chargers, 39-38. The NFL later admitted that it was a blown call. "Hochuli" has essentially become a dirty word in San Diego ever since.

Now, the Chargers, among the biggest disappointments in the NFL this season after being preseason Super Bowl contenders, have a chance at redemption. If Denver wins the division, it will become the fifth NFL team to go wire-to-wire without ever being tied for the division lead. That milestone looks tenuous at this point, though.

The Chargers, who are in this position thanks to a wild comeback win at Kansas City in Week 15, will enter Sunday's game playing as well as they have all season.

For Denver, this game is a shock to its system. Two weeks ago, the division looked like a done deal. And for much of Sunday it looked like a done deal. Now, Denver will head to San Diego as a clear underdog.

The Broncos were trying to erase the Bills loss from their minds moments after the game and focus on their chance in San Diego.

"It's been a roller coaster for us all year," Denver quarterback Jay Cutler said. "This is pretty normal for us. We win a few and then we lose a few ... It's par for the course at this point."

Added Denver cornerback Champ Bailey: "Our season is still in front of us. We have a one-game chance in San Diego."

Here are other key elements to Sunday's game:

All passing Broncos: The Broncos, long a premier run-first outfit, threw the ball 45 times Sunday. They ran the ball 27 times.

However, the major disparity came in the fourth quarter, when Cutler threw 22 times and the Broncos ran three times. One of the runs was by Cutler, who led Denver with eight carries.

The Broncos' battered running game took another big hit Sunday when starter P.J. Pope went out in the first quarter with a hamstring injury. He didn't return and his status for Sunday's game is unknown. He is Denver's seventh injured tailback this season.

Pope was running hard when he was hurt. He had 44 yards on six carries. Now, Denver's running backs are Tatum Bell and Selvin Young. It was clear in the second half that Denver coach Mike Shanahan doesn't trust either player to get tough yards.

Denver has to find a way to get a running attack going at San Diego or it will have no chance.

Red-faced in the red zone: A quick glance at the statistics from Sunday's game might make it look like Denver won easily. Denver outgained Buffalo 532 yards to 275. It owned the time of possession battle by six minutes, 22 seconds. It gained seven more first downs than Buffalo did.

But the killer statistic for Denver was its lack of efficiency in the red zone. Buffalo scored touchdowns on three of its five trips inside Denver's 20-yard line. The Broncos, though, scored touchdowns on two of six trips to Buffalo's red zone. The Broncos had to settle for two short field goals in the first half.

"Our inability to score touchdowns hurt us," said Denver receiver Brandon Stokley, who had the ball knocked from his hands on Denver's final play, a fourth-and-5 play in the end zone from Buffalo's 15 with 39 seconds remaining in the game.

Bailey battles: Bailey was clearly not completely ready to play. He was playing for the first time after missing seven games with a torn groin.

He had to leave the game twice. Bailey said there's no way he won't play against San Diego.

"I have to," Bailey said. "I have to be out there next week."

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.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

ST. LOUIS -- Referee John Parry upped his record to 6-0 in replay challenges this season, shooting down Cowboys coach Wade Phillips in the first quarter at the Edward Jones Dome.

Phillips had a 4-0 record in challenges his season coming into this game. Not any more. The lost challenge allows the Rams to take possession in Dallas territory while holding a 21-7 lead late in the first quarter. Phillips had challenged a Cowboys fumble.

The Rams continue to play with the emotion they showed against the Redskins in Week 6. The Cowboys appear lost on both sides of the ball. The Rams have been able to take their pick between the ground game and throwing deep to Donnie Avery.

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.