Referee announced for Packers’ Week 1 matchup vs. Vikings

DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 21: Referee Shawn Hochuli #83 announces a penalty during the third quarter of a game between the Denver Broncos and the Jacksonville Jaguars at Empower Field at Mile High on December 21, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The NFL has announced its Week 1 referee assignments, and the Green Bay Packers, who will open the season against the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis, will start the year with Shawn Hochuli. Hochuli's crews have been known to be flag-happy, as they are the only ones to have ranked among the top four in the NFL in flags thrown per game in back-to-back seasons.

Hochuli only worked one Packers game last year, their win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 8. In that game, Hochuli's team threw 11 flags - one of their lowest marks of the regular season - for 112 total yards (two penalties were declined). Overall, Hochuli's crew worked 17 regular-season games last year and only threw fewer than double-digit flags just once, an eight-flag affair between the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars.

For what it's worth, the Packers ranked 14th in the NFL in penalties in 2025, and the Vikings weren't far behind them in 16th place.

Last year, Hochuli's crew didn't call roughing the passer, unnecessary roughness, offensive pass interference or defensive pass interference at the rate of other crews, but they did throw flags on neutral zone infractions, illegal blocks above the waist, intentional groundings and defensive holdings well above the league's per-game averages.

If you're going to guess how many flags Hochuli throws next Sunday, double digits is probably the baseline you're going to want to start from.