The Divisional Round game between the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders will be refereed by Ron Torbert.
An NFL official since 2010 and a head referee from 2014, Torbert has connections to the area as an alumnus of Michigan State University. During his tenure as a lead official, he has overseen only three Lions games. He most recently oversaw the Lions’ triumph of 34-23 against the Minnesota Vikings on December 11, 2022.
The Lions hold a 1-2 record in matches officiated by Torbert, with the other two contests resulting in a defeat to Carolina in 2020 and a defeat to Atlanta in 2021.
Torbert’s team has been among the most penalty-prone in the league, ranking third overall with a total of 284 flags. His team has issued 50 flags for offensive holding, 41 for false starts, and 21 for defensive pass interference, as reported by NFLPenalties.com.
His tally for defensive pass interference ranks tied for fifth in the league. The 50 offensive holding penalties rank tied for third place.
Among the matches he’s officiated with the highest number of penalties include Seattle vs. Buffalo in Week 8 (24), Cleveland vs. Miami (20), and Washington vs. Tennessee (19). The Commanders won against the Titans in the sole game officiated by Torbert and his team.
He possesses experience officiating at the highest level, having refereed Super Bowl LVI. Torbert has officiated one playoff game in each of the last two seasons and has overseen a total of nine postseason games.