Here’s the Week 12 referee assignments from Football Zebras, with Shawn Hochuli and his crew working Sunday’s game between the New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. The Saints last saw Hochuli in Week 2’s loss at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in which they were fouled 9 times for 60 yards — slightly above their season-average of 6.7 penalties for 55.9 yards per game. New Orleans is 3-2 in games Hochuli has worked as a referee, dating back to 2019.
Hochuli has a reputation for seeking the spotlight during games, but his crew has actually thrown the sixth-fewest penalty markers per game this season (11.9), ranking seventh-lowest in penalty yardage per game (100.2). They’ve thrown more flags for offensive holding (30) than any other crew across the league, so that’s something the Saints need to be mindful of.
As for San Francisco: the 49ers rank closer to league-average than the Saints in penalties per game (5.9) and penalty yards per game (44), reflecting disciplined play in each phase of the game. They’re an annoyingly well-coached team, and it’ll be challenging for the Saints to slow them down on Sunday. If they’re going to find an edge, it’s likely not coming from Hochuli and his crew.
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