The New York Giants and Detroit Lions have drawn 12-year NFL referee Craig Wrolstad and his crew for their Week 12 tilt in the Motor City.
Wrolstad’s crew finished the 2024 season as one that threw the second-most accepted penalty flags so far this season (252) behind Clete Blakeman’s crew (263).
This year, however, his crew has been much more lenient, refraining from making it rain little yellow flags. The crew has had 118 accepted penalties in ten games worked. That ranks the crew 12th among the league's 17 officiating crews.
This will be the first Giants game this season that Wrolstad’s crew has worked. Last year, he and his crew worked the Giants’ Week 3 game in Cleveland, one of three games the Giants won despite having nine flags thrown against them in that contest.
Wrolstad’s crew did not work a Lions game last season; their last assignment involving the Lions was on January 14, 2024, during Wild Card weekend against the Los Angeles Rams.
Wrolstad, who has been an NFL official since 2003 when he was hired as a field judge, worked Super Bowl LVII, his last assignment before being promoted to referee the following year, following the retirements of Scott Green and Ron Winter. Since then, Wrolstad was named the alternate referee for Super Bowl LII.
His crew consists of umpire Brandon Cruse, who is the only newcomer to the group, having come over from Carl Cheffers’s crew last season; down judge Danny Short, line judge Brett Bergman, field judge Jeff Shears, side judge Frank Steratore (cousin of Tony and Gene Steratore), back judge Rich Martinez, replay official Gavin Anderson and replay assistant Ken Hall.
The Giants have been flagged 85 times this season, having achieved double-digit penalties in Week 2 at Dallas and Week 10 at Chicago.
New York is trying to avoid becoming the first NFL team this season to be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.
A loss to the Lions combined with a win by either Seattle, Minnesota or Dallas would give the Giants a conference worst 1-7 record and make it the earliest the Giants have been mathematically eliminated from postseason consideration since 1976, when the team started 0-8 in what was back then a 14-game season.
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