The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to take on the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday Night Football for sole possession of first place in the AFC North. Whoever comes out of Paycor Stadium with a victory on primetime will have the inside track to win the division.
With the stakes as high as they are, an underrated storyline in the contest is how the Friday mandatory ground stop on Friday will impact the referee crew for the Steelers vs. Bengals showdown.
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Longtime side judge Don Willard is working an unprecedented schedule due to travel problems. He will serve as the head referee for the Colts matchup against the Dolphins in Indianapolis on at 1 pm. After the conclusion of that game, Willard will make the drive to Cincinnati for Sunday Night Football, where he will also serve as the head referee.
The usual crew that Willard usually works with is not scheduled to work at all this weekend. The longtime side judge will step into a major role for two separate games on Sunday.
While the league has had to make major changes to officiating crews for Sunday, it does not seem that the ground stoppage will have a major effect on any teams travels plans. Last night, Steelers director of communications Burt Lauten suggested that the team was considering bussing to Cincinnati. At the time of this writing, there is no update as to whether the Steelers will fly or drive to Cincinnati after the ground stoppage was lifted late last night.
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