The NFC Championship Game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams might determine which team gets a ticket to San Francisco and plays in the Super Bowl. In other words, this game might just determine who becomes the NFL champion. This means that having no errors in officiating this game is of tantamount importance.
The thing is, referee squads have their own quirks and preferences when calling a game, whether it be a championship game or not. For the NFC Championship Game, the referee team overseeing the game will be the Clay Martin Crew. So, who are they?
The crew is, of course, led by head referee Clay Martin, whose crew averages in calling 12.2 penalties per game and a total of 195 penalties during the 2005 season. They ranked 10th in the league for penalties called per game. Here are the members:
| Position | Official |
| Referee | Clay Martin |
| Umpire | Steve Woods |
| Down Judge | Jerod Phillips |
| Line Judge | Brian Perry |
| Field Judge | Dave Hawkshaw |
| Side Judge | Alonzo Ramsey |
| Back Judge | Greg Wilson |
In games that the Martin Crew has officiated in, the Seahawks have a 5-5 record, while the Rams are 9-1, which means that Los Angeles has a better record in games officiated by this particular referee crew right now. However, these games are across several seasons, so they are not just from this season alone.
Head referee Clay Martin has over ten years of experience as an NFL referee, as he has been officiating since 2015, starting as an umpire. He eventually got promoted to head referee in 2018.
What Are the Odds for the Seahawks vs. Rams NFC Championship Game?
The game will be kicking off from Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington, at 6:30 PM EST via ESPN, with streaming via ESPN+ and Fubo. With that, who do oddsmakers believe is the favorite to head to San Francisco for the Super Bowl this year?
According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Seattle Seahawks are -2.5 (-110) favorites with a total of 45.5 (-115 over) and a moneyline of -142. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Rams are the +2.5 (-110) underdogs with a total of 45.5 (-115 under) and a moneyline of +120.
This means that the game might be very close, as the odds are not that big.
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