Sunday's Vikings-Lions ref crew has been stingy with DPI flags this season

Keep an eye on the physical approach from Detroit's cornerbacks in this game.

Nov 27, 2022; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Official Clay Martin on the field in the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Vikings wide receivers shouldn't go into Sunday's game expecting to be bailed out by flags on the Lions' defensive backs. This one is being officiated by Clay Martin and his crew, who have called just six total penalties for defensive pass interference, defensive holding, or illegal contact this year, as noted by ESPN's Kevin Seifert. Overall, Martin's crew is averaging the sixth-fewest penalties per game of the NFL's 17 officiating crews.

For some context, the Vikings benefited from five calls of those varieties in their Week 5 win over the Jets in London, all of which came on passes intended for superstar Justin Jefferson.

The track record of Martin's crew is notable because the Lions lead the league in both DPI penalties (ten in five games) and defensive holding calls (five). They've been the grabbiest secondary in football this year, led by rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold, the second-most-penalized player in the NFL behind Houston tackle Laremy Tunsil. Arnold has been hit with eight flags (five for DPI, two for holding, and a face mask). Fellow corner Carlton Davis, who may not play this week due to a quad injury, has five DPIs and a holding penalty in his own right. Those two lead the league in DPI calls against them.

Jefferson demands greater defensive attention than any other wide receiver in football. Teams try everything they can think of to limit his impact on the game, which usually means safety help or even bracket coverage. Sometimes that also means being physical and seeing how much they can get away with, knowing the refs generally aren't going to call it every time. The Vikings do their best to move Jefferson around the formation as a counter to that, but sometimes it's hard to avoid.

"We move him a ton and try to help as best we can," Kevin O'Connell said this week. "We’ve seen basically every coverage structure that you can play with 11 guys on the field."

O'Connell will undoubtedly be chatting with Martin and the other referees on Sunday morning to remind them to keep an eye on how the Lions defend Jefferson. If it's blatant, it'll likely be called. But with this crew, Detroit might be able to get away with some grabs here and there on No. 18. It's something to keep an eye on during this marquee NFC North matchup in Minneapolis.