After questionable officiating from Brad Rogers and his crew in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 1 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, the team will see Clete Blakeman as the referee for its Week 2 matchup against the Denver Broncos, per Football Zebras.
Blakeman is a veteran, having been a referee since 2010. He worked the Dallas Cowboys-Cleveland Browns matchup last week, which Dallas won, 33-17. The Cowboys were called for 11 penalties totaling 85 yards while the Browns had 11 penalties for 64 yards, so Blakeman’s crew isn’t afraid to throw flags, with 22 total penalties in the Week 1 matchup.
The 22 total penalties in Week 1 are three more than Blakeman’s crew called in any game last season. Pittsburgh didn’t see Blakeman and his crew last season, with the last time he called a Steelers game coming in Week 17 of the 2022 season against the Cleveland Browns. In that game, the Steelers were penalized just four times for 20 yards.
Last season, false start was Blakeman’s most-called penalty, as his crew called it 33 times. They called offensive holding 30 times and defensive pass interference 20 times.
Blakeman’s been in the league a long time and has worked playoff games, including last season’s NFC Championship Game, so he’s a well-respected official and someone who should call a decent game. The Steelers will need to stay disciplined in a road environment and not let the elevation or the crowd noise impact them in Denver on Sunday.
The Steelers had nine penalties for 60 yards against the Falcons in Week 1, and the penalties are something they’re going to need to clean up. Given the 11 flags on each team in the Browns-Cowboys game that Blakeman worked, this crew won’t be afraid to throw flags, so the Steelers need to fix some of their issues to prevent getting flagged too often and to give them a better chance to win.
