"Throughout the NFL's history, there have been countless complaints about officiating from players and coaches to fans. It is an unavoidable part of the game, and unfortunately, their mistakes lead to some questionable outcomes, and the Patriots have dealt with the consequences of that far too often over the years. Because they're going into their first playoff game in five years, fans hoped they would get a fair head official to call the game."
"During the 2025 season, Torbert and his crew have thrown the fifth-most flags among officiating groups, penalizing teams 255 times, with 205 ultimately being accepted. Making matters worse is the number of penalties called on the home team of the game he's officiating, 116, compared to the away team getting hit with just 89. The Patriots are the home team this weekend, so there's a good chance this trend continues against them."
Ron Torbert is assigned as the referee for the Patriots-Chargers playoff game. Torbert has officiated in the NFL since 2010 and is a Harvard Law graduate who recently turned 62. Torbert's crew officiated New England's Week 1 loss to the Raiders, penalizing both teams 21 times for a combined 151 yards. In 2025 his crew issued the fifth-most flags, calling 255 penalties with 205 accepted. Torbert's crews have assessed more penalties against home teams (116) than away teams (89). The Patriots will be the home team and must avoid penalties against this crew.
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