Referee Shawn Smith (14) reviews a play during the first half of an NFL football game between the Carolina Panthers and the Seattle Seahawks in Charlotte, N.C. on Nov. 25, 2018. After an egregious missed penalty (or two) that basically kept the Saints from making the Super Bowl and helped the Rams get there instead, there was little chance attention could be diverted from the guys with the whistles and their impact on games. (AP Photo/Mike McCarn, File)