An unprecedented nationwide Federal Aviation Administration ground stop forced the NFL to reshuffle Week 10 officiating assignments due to the ongoing nationwide impact to air travel this week.
The ground stop on Friday, November 13, 2026, disrupted sports travel after new technology overloaded air traffic control systems. The NFL reassigned on-field crews to games within driving distance of their hometowns, leaving one matchup without on-site replay assistants, as CBS Sports reported.
The adjustments forced side judge Don Willard into a double-duty assignment following the Federal Aviation Administration ground stop.
Wow. https://t.co/ETM4t8dT7v
Willard will referee the Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts game at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday before driving 112 miles east to officiate the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals Sunday Night Football matchup at Paycor Stadium.
“Each of the league’s 17 officiating crews have a backup referee identified, and that individual trains throughout the year to work at the referee position should the need arise,” the NFL said in a statement on the changes.
The #NFL’s replay officials and assistants were all in Detroit for a clinic Friday. I’m told by the league office that ALL are able to get to their originally assigned games, with the exception of #Panthers-#Saints . The replay official’s duties for that game will be handled from…
The Panthers-Saints game in Charlotte will operate without on-site replay officials and assistants. Those duties are absorbed by the league office, according to NBC Sports.
Three backup referees were pressed into head referee roles for Sunday. Umpire Duane Heydt takes charge of the Panthers-Saints game, umpire Barry Anderson handles the Jaguars-Titans matchup, and Willard assumes referee duties for both the Colts-Dolphins and Steelers-Bengals games, per NFL announcements.
With tomorrow’s #NFL games featuring thrown-together officiating crews on new assignments, I asked a longtime (now-retired) NFL official if that presented any specific challenges. He said familiarity and a general crew tempo are real, so we should watch how the officials adjust…
“He said familiarity and a general crew tempo are real, so we should watch how the officials adjust to each other the first couple series,” reported CBS Sports.
“You just adapt.”
Transportation officials explained that new technology added to the air traffic control system overloaded older parts of the infrastructure, producing intermittent communications and radar gaps that resulted in the longest nationwide ground stop in 25 years. More than 2,000 flights were cancelled across the country, while FlightAware reported that a total of 9,165 flights within, into, or out of the United States were canceled.
JuJu Watkins and her third-ranked Southern California teammates had just boarded their flight to face top-ranked South Carolina when the ground stop was issued. In women’s soccer, the Kansas City Current scrambled to rearrange travel for their semi-final match against Gotham FC.
Yes, I’m good to go for Sunday. And – (based on the info I’ve seen so far) – NFL Games will likely go on as scheduled. But we all need to keep checking the latest. This is somewhat unprecedented. https://t.co/c4vyxc8636
For the NFL, the referee shakeup altered the Minnesota Vikings’ matchup at Lambeau Field, where Clete Blakeman replaced John Hussey as referee, with Alex Kemp serving as umpire. Meanwhile, in the AFC North race, the Steelers and Bengals prepare to square off on Sunday Night Football with both teams holding a 6-2 record.
Don Willard’s marathon Sunday begins at Lucas Oil Stadium at 10 a.m. for pregame preparations before kickoff, concluding late into the night following the contest in Cincinnati.
Per the NFL: “Due to the ongoing nationwide impact to air travel this weekend, the NFL has adjusted its officiating assignments for Week 10 games, reassigning officials to games within driving distance of their hometowns. The changes will necessitate that three back up referees…