Referee Alex Kemp assigned to Chiefs vs. Jets game
Sixth-year NFL referee Alex Kemp and his crew have been assigned to the Kansas City Chiefs vs. New York Jets game on "Sunday Night Football" in Week 4 per Football Zebras. Kemp has only ever been a head referee for three Chiefs games and the team is 3-0 in those two games. The last game he officiated […]
Sixth-year NFL referee Alex Kemp and his crew have been assigned to the Kansas City Chiefs vs. New York Jets game on "Sunday Night Football" in Week 4 per Football Zebras.
Kemp has only ever been a head referee for three Chiefs games and the team is 3-0 in those two games. The last game he officiated for Kansas City was the Week 7 tilt with the San Francisco 49ers in 2022. His crew has never called more than nine penalties against the Chiefs and never fewer than seven.
Kemp and his crew have officiated over double the games for the Jets in his six seasons as a white hat. New York has a 2-5 record in games officiated by Kemp, including a loss in the last match his crew officiated for them in 2022.
With three games officiated this season, Kemp's crew has thrown the most total flags with 65. They have the second-highest dismissed penalty count at 11 and the most accepted penalties at 51. Even Alan Eck's crew, who have officiated one more game than every other crew, has fewer flags thrown and penalties accepted.
That's not exactly great news for a Chiefs squad that has struggled with penalties at times this season. The Jets have the lowest penalty total in the league, so they either stay disciplined or see a return to the mean.
As for the specific tendencies of Kemp's crew, they've called the second-most false start penalties (11) in the league this season. That means Jawaan Taylor will have to be on his absolute best behavior They've also called the second-most defensive pass interference penalties this season, so the Chiefs' defensive backs will have to be on their best behavior against the likes of Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, and Mecole Hardman.
As for the NFL's newfound emphasis on offensive tackle alignment, this crew has called a single illegal formation penalty this season. However, it wasn't called on an offensive lineman. We'll see if that changes on a national stage on Sunday night.
Featured image via Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
