The referee assigned to work AFC Championship Game has big-game experience
Any Chiefs fan who watched NFL Films’ fantastic breakdown of “2-3 Jet Chip Wasp” in Super Bowl LIV will be familiar with referee Bill Vinovich.
NFL Films gave Vinovich plenty of face time in the video. The play that preceded the biggest play in Super Bowl was reviewed by Vinovich, and viewers got to see him interact with players and talk to the replay crew.
On Monday, the NFL announced Vinovich will be working the AFC Championship Game, which pits the Chiefs against the Bills.
Vinovich has been a regular in big NFL games. In addition to working last year’s Super Bowl, he was the referee for the Saints-Rams NFC Championship Game in 2019, as well as NFC title games in 2016 and 2017, and Super Bowl XLIX in 2015.
Some Saints fans still haven’t forgiven Vinovich for being the referee in the NFC Championship Game that included a notorious missed pass-interference call.
Football Zebras said Vinovich is a certified public accountant from Lake Forest, California, and he also has worked as a supervisor of NFL officials, “a position he held while sidelined from on-field officiating due to a near-fatal heart condition.”
During the 2007-11 seasons, he didn’t work as an NFL official.
Vinovich was the referee for one Bills game this season: Buffalo’s 56-26 win over the Dolphins in the regular-season finale.
Per Pro Football Reference, the home team won 60% of the games Vinovich worked this season, but his crew called 52.3% of its penalties on the home team.
Football Zebras said a full crew of alternate officials has been assigned to the conference championships games, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The last time that happened? Football Zebras said it was Super Bowl I.
