Referee Report: Veteran Referee Gets Second Chance To Work Bengals Game After Week 8 Injury

Jay Morrison | Jan 1, 2025

Referee John Hussey (35) talks with Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor following an on-field altercation in the second quarter during a Week 17 NFL football game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. / Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

CINCINNATI – The Cincinnati Bengals will see one of the league’s most senior referees Saturday night in Pittsburgh.

John Hussey will be on the call when the Bengals face the Steelers with their playoff hopes on the line at Acrisure Stadium.

It’s the second Cincinnati game Hussey has been schedule to work, but he was a late scratch for the first one – Week 8 at home against the Philadelphia Eagles – due to an injury, resulting in Scott Novak replacing him.

Hussey has been an NFL official since 2002 and a head referee since 2015.

The Bengals are 5-4 with Hussey as the head referee, including 3-1 in the last four.

Two of the more memorable games Hussey worked were the Vonn Bell-JuJu Smith-Schuster game in 2020 when the Bengals beat the Steelers on Monday Night Football. And the 2022 regular season win against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Hussey and his officials are averaging 11.6 penalties per game, which ranks 14th among the 17 crews.

Last season, Hussey’s was tied for the third most flags per game.

Here is the list of Bengals games Hussey has worked as the head referee:

Week 9, 2015: Bengals 31, Browns 10

Bengals two penalties for 10 yards; Browns 4-28

Week 12, 2017: Bengals 30, Browns 16

Bengals 4-35; Browns 7-69

Week 14, 2018: Chargers 26, Bengals 21

Bengals 6-34; Chargers 6-38

Week 5, 2019: Cardinals 26, Bengals 23

Bengals 7-60; Cardinals 12-96

Week 14, 2020: Cowboys 30, Bengals 7

Bengals 3-25; Cowboys 5-30

Week 16, 2020: Bengals 27, Steelers 17

Bengals 2-16; Steelers 4-30

Week 13, 2022: Bengals 27, Chiefs 24

Bengals 6-65; Bengals 4-35

Week 3, 2023: Bengals 19, Rams 16

Bengals 7-49; Rams 4-28

Week 17, 2023: Chiefs 25, Bengals 17

Bengals 3-20; Chiefs 3-39

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