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Sarah Thomas makes history by becoming first woman on-field official in NFL playoff game

Thomas has a history of making history when it comes to officiating football.

Sarah Thomas worked the Chargers-Patriots game as a down judge.
Sarah Thomas worked the Chargers-Patriots game as a down judge.Read moreSteven Senne / AP

When the Patriots and the Chargers took the field for Sunday’s AFC divisional playoff game, Sarah Thomas made history.

Thomas worked the game as a down judge -- the first woman to serve as an on-field official for an NFL playoff game.

Thomas, who was part of a crew led by referee Ron Torbert, is in her fourth season working games for the NFL according to CNN.

Thomas has a history of making history: in 2007, she became the first woman to work a major college football game when she was on the sideline for a Memphis-Jacksonville State game that September. And in 2015, she was the first woman hired as a full-time official by the NFL.

According to the Associated Press, Thomas wasn’t the only one to make waves during this playoff weekend -- Terri Valenti worked Saturday’s Chiefs-Colts game as the replay official, which was also a first for the NFL.