As one might expect, the NFL Week 10 Germany game between the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers did not lead to many points in the first half. The highlight of the game thus far was a false start penalty on Carolina center Brady Christensen, but solely because of the call from referee Shawn Hochuli.
Once he addressed the crowd to make the call, Hochuli surprised everyone by announcing the penalty in German. His call shocked the on-air broadcast crew of Rich Eisen and Kurt Warner. The crowd showed appreciation for the move by giving Hochuli a big ovation.
Born and raised in Arizona, Hochuli, 46, has been an NFL official since 2014. He is the son of former longtime referee Ed Hochuli. It is unclear if the younger Hochuli had prior German knowledge or picked up a few phrases to pull out for the game in Munich.
The retirement of Ed Hochuli in 2018 subsequently led to his son becoming a head referee. Shawn Hochuli indirectly replaced his father as one of the handful of head referees in the NFL and has thrived in that role, becoming one of the premier officials in football.
Panthers lead Giants 10-0 at halftime in Germany
The game went into halftime with the Panthers holding a 10-0 lead over the Giants. It marked just the second time all year that Carolina went into the locker room with a lead as New York struggled to get anything going with Daniel Jones on offense.
Jones threw for just 54 yards in the first half with an interception. He notably missed several wide-open receivers down the field, drawing the criticism of Warner, a former Giants quarterback, on the broadcast.
Conversely, Bryce Young and Chuba Hubbard quickly found a rhythm for the Panthers' offense. Young threw for 94 yards and a touchdown in the first half while Hubbard carved up the Giants' defense with 93 rushing yards before halftime. Overall, Hubbard accounted for 104 of Carolina's 198 yards of total offense. Hubbard's success was boosted by his backup, Miles Sanders, being carted off with an injury.
Young's lone touchdown went to tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders in the first quarter. On a play-action fake, Young rolled to his right before finding the rookie wide open in the back of the end zone.
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