Referee for Bengals-Falcons Game Leads League in Defensive Pass Interference Flags

Crew also has been heavy on roughing-the-passer penalties

Oct 31, 2021; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor talks with referee Craig Wrolstad (4) and Terry Brown (43) before the game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

CINCINNATI – The referee who worked the game with one of the worst calls of the Zac Taylor era will be on the call Sunday when the Cincinnati Bengals face the Atlanta Falcons in Madrid.

In a 2021 road game against the New York Jets, what looked like a routine tackle by Mike Hilton on a third-and-11checkdown should have result in the Bengals getting the ball back down three points with two minutes to go.

It looked as though Jets running back Michael Carter initiated the helmet-to-helmet contact as Hilton was going for his legs, but Hilton drew the flag, and the Jets killed the clock to win 34-31 as 11-point underdogs

It wasn’t Wrolstad who threw that flag. It was line judge Tripp Sutter, who has had multiple run-ins with the Bengals coaching staff.

Sutter won’t be working Sunday’s Bengals game as he is on fellow Cincinnati villain Ron Torbert’s crew this season.

The Bengals are 6-5 with Wrolstad as the head referee. The last Cincinnati game he worked was last year’s Thanksgiving night win in Baltimore.

Wrolstad and his crew rank third this year with an average of 17.14 accepted penalties per game.

Last year they were 12th (11.61), but in 2024 they were second (14.82).

In 2023, Wrolstad was 13th (9.88), and in 2022 he was 16th (9.35).

Wrolstad’s crew has called 17 defensive pass interference penalties this year, most in the league. No other crew has more than 13.

Ironically, the crew ranks last in defensive holding flags with just one all season.

The group also has five roughing-the-passer penalties, which are one shy of the league lead this year. And their 26 offensive holding penalties rank fifth.

Wrolstad has been a head official since 2014 and has earned playoff assignments in each of the four three seasons after being left off the postseason schedule in five of his first seven seasons.

He worked the Pittsburgh Steelers-Houston Texans Wild-Card game in 2025

Week 11, 2014: Bengals 27, Saints 10

Bengals 4-33; Saints 5-34

Week 12, 2015: Bengals 31, Rams 7

Bengals 3-35; Rams 7-45

Week 11, 2017: Bengals 20, Broncos 17

Bengals 3-14; Broncos 5-50

Wek 5, 2018: Bengals 27, Dolphins 17

Bengals 6-47; Dolphins 9-85

Week 7, 2019: Jaguars 27, Bengals 17

Bengals 6-50; Jaguars 11-130

Week 8, 2021: Jets 34, Bengals 31

Bengals 5-51; Jets 8-46

Week 14, 2021: 49ers 26, Bengals 23 (OT)

Bengals 2-19; 49ers 6-40

Week 16, 2022: Bengals 22, Patriots 18

Bengals 8-62; Patriots 10-82

Week 16, 2023: Steelers 34, Bengals 11

Bengals 3-20; Steelers 2-15

Week 15, 2024: Bengals 37, Titans 27

Bengals 14-113; Titans 12-110

Week 13, 2025: Bengals 32, Ravens 14

Bengals 6-35; Ravens 7-53

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