The 2026 NFL Playoffs kick off on Saturday when the Carolina Panthers host the Los Angeles Rams. The game gets underway at 4:30 p.m. ET and Clete Blakeman will be the referee leading the officiating crew at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
Rams-Panthers referees: Who is officiating the 2026 Wild Card game
The Rams and Panthers face off in the first playoff game of the 2026 NFL Playoffs. Clete Blakeman will lead the officiating crew for the Wild Card game. We break down what that means.
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The Panthers get to host the game as winners of the NFC South with the No. 4 seed. It wasn’t pretty and their 8-9 record means they join the short list of teams that have reached the playoffs with a losing record. They lost to the Bucs on the final Saturday of the season, but in spite of a losing their final two games, they managed to clinch the division thanks to the Falcons beating the Saints.
They face a Rams squad that came up with the short end of the stick in a difficult NFC West. The Rams finished 12-5, which was tied for the second best record in the conference. However, the Seahawks finished 13-4 and so LA has to go on the road to open the playoffs as the No. 5 seed. Not surprisingly, the Rams are sizable favorites, with FanDuel installing them at -10.5.
Carolina will need a lot to go their way if they want to spring the home upset in the playoff opener. That might include some hometown cooking from the officials. NFL referees are expected to be neutral at all times, but home crowds can sometimes influence calls.
This is Blakeman’s 16th playoff assignment. His most notable assignment was lead referee at Super Bowl 50. Coincidentally enough, that game featured the Cam Newton-led Panthers lose 24-10 to Peyton Manning and the Broncos.
The postseason officials are mixed crews. Regular season stats are interesting, but not necessarily as relevant as they would be when talking about regular season matchups. That being said, Sharp Football Analysis offered up these betting stats as they related to Blakeman’s historical performance.
- Home teams are 67-78-3 ATS with Blakeman since the start of 2016
- Divisional home teams are 27-26 on the moneyline since 2016
- Blakeman is 28-25 on divisional totals, including 5-2 over in 2024
Here’s a look at the full crew for Saturday’s Rams-Panthers game.
Rams-Panthers officiating crew
Referee: Clete Blakeman
Umpire: Scott Campbell
Down judge: Mike Carr
Line judge: Tripp Sutter
Field judge: Sean Petty
Side judge: Don Willard
Back judge: Dino Paganelli
Replay official: Tyler Cerimeli
Replay assistant: Desiree Adams
Alternate Referee: Alex Moore
Alternate umpire: Mark Pellis
Alternate down judge: Derick Bowers
Alternate field judge: Jabir Walker
Alternate back judge: Jonah Monroe
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