Referee Scouting Report for NY Giants-49ers Week 9 Showdown

Following two road games that were each brutal in their own way, the New York Giants (2-6) return home to face the San Francisco 49ers (5-3) in Week 9. 61-year-old John Hussey will greet them, the head official for Sunday afternoon's showdown.

The 11th-year NFL referee and his crew–umpire Duane Heydt, down judge Max Causey, line judge Carl Johnson, field judge Anthony Flemming, side judge Allen Baynes, back judge Matt Edwards, replay official Andrew Lambert, and replay assistant Sebrina Brunson–have issued 89 penalties this season, the fifth-fewest in the league, according to NFL Penalties.com. 

Perhaps such a statistic will bode well for a Giants team that has the fifth-most flags counted against them at 64. 

New York has also racked up the second-most yards against with a mammoth 560. There have been 36 infractions assessed for the offense, the second-most assigned to that side of the ball in the NFL.

Brian Daboll's squad has collected seven or more penalties in 6 games this season, highlighting how difficult it is for this team to show restraint throughout a game. 

Since the Giants are now missing both receiver Malik Nabers and running back Cam Skattebo, building momentum on offense is more important than ever.

Giving a Kyle Shanahan-coached team free yards with silly mistakes or even worse, setting their own offense backward with penalties, adds up to be a recipe for disaster. Ideally, New York will be able to avoid such a problem with Hussey on duty.