All Lions

Lions Draw Brad Rogers as Referee for Week 18 Matchup

Read more on official for winner-take-all Week 18 showdown.

Christian Booher

NFL referee Brad Rogers.
NFL referee Brad Rogers. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
In this story:

The Week 18 matchup between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings to decide the NFC North and the No. 1 seed in the postseason will be officiated by lead referee Brad Rogers and his crew.

A lead referee since the 2019 season, Rogers will be officiating his eighth Lions game. Coincidentally, he has officiated two games between the Lions and Vikings previously in his career as a lead ref. Detroit is 4-3 in games officiated by him, and the Vikings are 4-2. In the two games between the teams he's officiated, each team has won one apiece.

The Lions defeated the Vikings 30-20 in a game officiated by Rogers in Week 18 of last season at Ford Field. That game was the most recent time he has officiated a Vikings game.

Rogers' crew ranks sixth in the league amongst referees with 207 penalties called this season, with an average of 13.8 per game. The home and away penalty splits are nearly even across the 15 games his crew has worked, as home teams have been whistled for 107 penalties while road teams have tallied 100.

More: Lions Tease Wearing Black Uniforms Against Vikings

The most flags thrown in a game by Rogers' crew came on Thanksgiving, as he presided over the showdown between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants.

Rogers has served as the lead official for one Lions game this season, their Week 3 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Notably, he officiated Detroit's season-ending game against the Green Bay Packers in the 2022 season, which was a 20-16 victory for the Lions at Lambeau Field.

Published
Christian Booher
CHRISTIAN BOOHER

Sports journalist who has covered the Detroit Lions the past three NFL seasons. Christian brings expert analysis, insights and an ability to fairly assess how the team is performing in a tough NFC North division. 

Home/News