Referee Adrian Hill was injured in the third quarter of the Texans’ 23-19 win against the Bills. Alex Slitz / Getty Images
For NFL officials, a mid-game changing of the guards can be as quick as a sideline hat handoff.
Seven-year NFL referee Adrian Hill was injured in the third quarter of the Houston Texans’ 23-19 win against the Buffalo Bills on “Thursday Night Football” and did not return.
Hill was in the end zone during a kickoff and reached for his left leg as he started to run. No contact caused the injury. Hill was helped off the field and carted to the locker room.
Umpire Roy Ellison replaced Hill, and the umpire position was eliminated for the remainder of the game. Referees are differentiated with a white hat, and the rest of the officiating crew wears a black hat. As Hill got onto the cart, he passed off his hat, giving Ellison the title for the rest of the night.
As for how that impacts the game, referees and umpires usually split the offensive backfield. Referees are known as the crew chief and oversee everything related to the officials and game pace.
Rules analyst Terry McAulay explained that, by eliminating the umpire, Hill would be responsible for watching the offensive line by himself and monitoring any potential roughing-the-passer situations. All other positions on the officiating crew remained the same.
Nov 21, 2025
Connections: Sports Edition
Spot the pattern. Connect the terms
Find the hidden link between sports terms
Play today’s puzzle
