The New Orleans Saints will kick off with the New England Patriots this weekend with veteran referee John Hussey and his crew officiating the game, per Football Zebras. Hussey has worked as a referee since 2015, and the Saints are 6-2 when he’s on the scene in that capacity. The Patriots are 3-2.
But the last time the Saints visited New England, they narrowly lost when an uncalled hold on defensive end Junior Galette by left tackle Nate Solder allowed Tom Brady to connect with wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins on a touchdown strike in the final seconds despite tight coverage by cornerback Jabari Greer. We’ll be hoping for a better result this time around.
Through two weeks, Hussey’s crew has thrown 28 flags (tied for fifth-most) for 258 penalty yards (seventh-most), with an emphasis on false starts (6) and offensive holding (5). Oddly, 18 of those fouls have come against home teams.
Here is how Hussey’s crew’s top tendencies stack up against the Saints, Patriots, and the NFL averages on a per-game basis:
| False starts | Offensive holding | Defensive holding | Total penalties | |
| New Orleans | 2.00 | 1.00 | 0.00 | 8.50 |
| New England | 0.50 | 2.00 | 1.00 | 7.00 |
| John Hussey | 3.00 | 2.50 | 1.50 | 14.0 |
| NFL average | 2.81 | 2.53 | 0.53 | 13.59 |