Sarah Thomas becomes 1st woman to work as on-field official in NFL playoffs

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Sarah Thomas signals during the Patriots-Chargers playoff game. | Al Bello/Getty Images

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Sarah Thomas is the first woman to work an NFL playoff game as an on-field official.

Thomas was the down judge in Sunday’s divisional round game between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Chargers. That’s a first, according to the league’s Twitter account.

Thomas was hired in 2015 and was already the league’s first female full-time official.

Terri Valenti was the replay official in Saturday’s playoff game between the Chiefs and Colts, also a first.

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