NFL assigns Shawn Smith to referee Week 2's Saints-Cowboys game

The NFL assigned Shawn Smith to referee Week 2’s New Orleans Saints vs. Dallas Cowboys game, per Football Zebras. While they haven’t seen him since 2021, the Saints are 3-0 in games with Smith on the field as a referee. They also won a game in 2017 when Smith was working as an umpire. If you’re curious, the Cowboys’ record with Smith as a referee is 2-1. They went 1-1 in two games with him as an umpire.

Smith began his NFL officiating career as an umpire from 2015 to 2017 before getting bumped up to referee in 2018. In Week 1, his crew ranked sixth in flags thrown (17), but just 15 penalties stood — 7 on the home team (for 55 yards) and 8 on the visitors (for 50 yards). However, their 105 penalty yards assessed ranked eighth.

New Orleans and Dallas were two of the most-penalized teams last week so both squads must play with greater discipline in Week 2. Especially along the offensive line. Smith’s crew called more fouls for false starts (4) and offensive holding (4) than anything else, but they were also vigilant for illegal blocks above the waist (2). Those are the kinds of self-inflicted wounds the Saints can’t afford against a team with playoff ambitions like the Cowboys.