Mark Schlereth and Darren Woodson both like the Seahawks to get back in the win column against the Panthers. (1:02)

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman has made a habit this season of critiquing NFL officials, dinging them for everything from missing calls to bias against his team to substandard knowledge of replay rules.

There is another element of officiating in 2016 that I doubt Sherman would approve of, one that is more objective than the opinions he has expressed and something that will almost certainly impact the Seahawks' game Sunday against the Carolina Panthers (8:30 p.m. ET, NBC).

Referee John Parry is scheduled to work that matchup at CenturyLink Field. His crew leads the NFL in penalties against defenders when playing the pass, according to the vast ESPN Stats & Information database. If Sherman is worried about calls that go against the Seahawks, these statistics will hit close to home.

Richard Sherman and the Seahawks have been called for 96 penalties this season, 10th-most in the NFL, but their pass defense has been called for the ninth-fewest in the NFL. Troy Wayrynen/USA TODAY Sports

Parry's crew has called 17 penalties for defensive holding, 20 for defensive pass interference and 11 for illegal contact. The total of 48 fouls, which includes penalties that have been declined and are offsetting, are 19 above the league average and more than three times as many as the lowest total. (Craig Wrolstad's crew has called only 14.)

The way pass defense is officiated annually fluctuates between crews, a discrepancy that seeps into scouting reports and game plans throughout the league. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has suggested interchanging crew members to level out the disparity, but it has persisted this season once again amid a less liberal rotation system than Goodell initially advocated.

Generally speaking, Parry and crew have been the NFL's most likely group of officials to call a game tightly against defensive backs and other pass defenders. Sunday night's game, however, will be a fascinating test of that theory.

Even though the Seahawks have been aggressive -- they have been called for 96 penalties this season, 10th most in the NFL -- their pass defense has gone relatively unscathed.

They have been called for 14 such penalties, tied for ninth fewest in the NFL. And the Panthers have been called for the fewest (eight), an indication that their 29th-ranked pass defense has not been physical enough this season.

For a change of pace, this week's chart breaks down the NFL's Week 13 games by how their assigned officiating crews have administered pass defense.

Week 13 NFL officiating report Referee Assigned game Pass defense penalties Parry, John Panthers-Seahawks 48 Boger, Jerome Rams-Patriots 42 Allen, Brad OFF 41 Anderson, Walt Redskins-Cardinals 39 Blakeman, Clete Lions-Saints 36 Cheffers, Carl Dolphins-Ravens 36 Hochuli, Ed OFF 30 Torbert, Ronald Colts-Jets 30 Triplette, Jeff Eagles-Bengals 28 Corrente, Tony Cowboys-Vikings 26# Coleman, Walt Chiefs-Falcons 24 Hussey, John Buccaneers-Chargers 24 Morelli, Pete 49ers-Bears 23 Vinovich, Bill Bills-Raiders 22 McAulay, Terry Giants-Steelers 19 Steratore, Gene Texans-Packers 19 Wrolstad, Craig Broncos-Jaguars 14 Source: ESPN Stats & Information * Includes accepted, declined, offsetting # Number does not include TNF

To be clear, the numbers themselves aren't a comment on the quality of officiating. If anything, they are evidence of the expansive ways that different sets of human eyes (and brains) perceive and process similar events. As I've always said, it's really no different than home-plate umpires in baseball each having their own strike zones. As long as humans are officiating games, calls won't be as consistent as we'd like.

Naturally, the style of teams' play has an impact on how many calls are made. It's not solely a factor of officials' perception. But the NFL has now played 12 of its 17 weeks, and clear patterns have emerged. Calibrate expectations accordingly for your favorite team this week.