The New Orleans Saints will play their next game of the season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers under referee Clete Blakeman. It’s the first time this season for both teams in the matchup that he’ll be the one officiating, though he’s worked as a head referee since 2010. The Buccaneers are 7-7 in games with Blakeman as the referee, while the Saints are 7-6. Ironically he’s officiated three past matchups between these two teams, and New Orleans is 3-0 in them.
So far this season, 51.4% of the penalties he has called have been on the home team, and that team has won just 25% of the time. Blakeman averages 18.5 penalties per game for 176 yards.
For comparison’s purpose, the league average is just over 13 penalties per game for roughly 107 yards.
The last time Tampa Bay played with him making the calls was on Jan. 7, 2024 when the Bucs won a low-scoring affair over the Carolina Panthers, 9-0. Three penalties were called on the Bucs for 15 yards, while three penalties were called on the Panthers for 20 yards.
The Saints saw Blakeman last much longer ago than the Bucs did, with him serving as a part of the officiating crew during the contest against the Atlanta Falcons on Dec. 18, 2022. Six penalties were called on the Saints for 46 yards, while three flags were thrown on the Falcons for 30 yards. New Orleans won that close game, 21-18.
How things shake out this time under Blakeman will be interesting to see.
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