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The referee for the Green Bay Packers’ game on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals is none other than Alex Moore, a rookie who was promoted from umpire this season. So far, Moore is on pace to be the strictest referee in football.
As of right now, Moore’s crew ranks first in penalties, first in penalties per game, first in penalty yardage and second in penalty yardage per game this year, per NFL Penalties. For reference, the only crew that has thrown more flags on the away team per game this year than Moore (9.7) is Carl Cheffers (10), who threw 14 flags on the Packers in Week 3 against the Cleveland Browns.
Moore’s crew is calling about 8 combined offensive holdings and false starts per game, compared to the league average of 5.3. He has also called 14 percent of the league’s defensive offsides alone.
Currently, the most-flagged non-offensive lineman or defensive back in the NFL right now is Packers pass-rusher Micah Parsons, who has four offsides and neutral zone infractions (two each) in just five games. Maybe Parsons finally gets the refs to throw a holding penalty in this game, but he could as easily be a victim of another pre-snap penalty, too.
This season, league-wide special teams penalties are up 43 percent on a per-game basis. While it seems like Green Bay is being flagged often in the kicking game, they’re tied for 11th-17th in the NFL in terms of special teams penalties.
