The referee assignments have been announced for Week 1 of the NFL season, and the New England Patriots are no stranger to their zebra.
According to Football Zebras, Clete Blakeman will be the referee at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 8, when the Pats host the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 action.
The most notable connection between the Patriots and Blakeman is Deflategate. Blakeman was one of the two individuals in that now-infamous game against the Indianapolis Colts who measured the PSI in the footballs at halftime. He was mentioned often in the Wells Report as a result.
Overall, the Patriots are 4-5 with Blakeman as the ref, with their most recent meeting being New England’s AFC Championship victory over the Kansas City Chiefs back in January. Twice he was the referee for a Patriots game last season, as he also watched over their loss to the Detroit Lions in September. Another game of note that he refereed was the Patriots’ AFC Championship victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2018.
Kickoff for the Pats’ season opener is set for 8:20 p.m. ET.
