Carl Cheffers to Referee Super Bowl 57; See the Betting Trends for Cheffers’ Games This Season
- Carl Cheffers’ officiating crew chosen for Super Bowl 57
- Cheffers’ team led the league in penalties per game in the NFL regular season
- Read below to see how officiating can affect your betting for Super Bowl 57
Even before the Chiefs gutted out a 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship, Kansas City supporters were already not thrilled with the NFL announcing Carl Cheffers as referee for Super Bowl 57.
NFL's Super Bowl officiating crew pic.twitter.com/7CjWrUsGLL
— Underdog NFL (@Underdog__NFL) January 24, 2023
This won’t be the first time Cheffers and his crew have officiated the Super Bowl. In fact, they have both 51 and 55 under their belt — one of those involved these same KC Chiefs (more on that below).
It will be, however, the first time the same crew has been chosen twice in the span of three years in the Super Bowl era.
While KC has more of a history with him, Cheffers most recently officiated an Eagles game: the Week 18 finale against the New York Giants.
The Super Bowl goes Sunday, Feb 12 at 6:30pm ET from State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Philly has been installed as 2-point favorites, -130 on the moneyline with a total set at 50 points.
Can the officiating sway your wagers for the big game? Let’s break down some of Cheffers’ recent work with KC and Philly.
Cheffers Officiating Crew Highlights
Cheffers is a long-time official in the NFL, joining in 2000 as a side judge and promoted to referee in 2008. He is the league’s second-longest tenured referee behind only Jerome Boger.
His crew is mostly known for their flag work: they led the NFL in penalties per game in the regular season, one of only three teams that surpassed 12 penalties per game.
They have led the league in penalties in back-to-back seasons, and three times in the last decade. They’ve only been outside the top five of penalty-throwers three times in that span.
Their most recent Super Bowl worked was Kansas City’s 31-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Chiefs were penalized 120 yards on 11 penalties.
In the 2017 AFC Divisional Playoffs, Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce was also critical of Cheffers following their 18-16 loss to the Steelers, which resulted in a $12,500 fine.
Recent Games Worked With Eagles & Chiefs
Cheffers’ team officiated the Chiefs twice this season. In Week 5, they flagged KC five times for 72 yards as the Chiefs won 30-29 over the Raiders.
Among them was a questionable roughing the passer call on Chris Jones, who had strip sacked Derek Carr and landed on him. The Chiefs failed to cover the 7.5-point spread, though they cruised past the 51-point total.
Roughing the passer? 🏈 #MNF pic.twitter.com/y4AR9G3MVe
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) October 11, 2022
In Week 15, KC was heavily flagged in a win over the Texans, called for 10 penalties totaling 102 yards. Still, they managed to win 30-24, but couldn’t cover a hefty14.5-point spread. They did clear the 48.5 total.
The lone Philadelphia game Cheffer refereed was in Week 18, when the Eagles beat the Giants 22-16 to clinch the NFC’s top seed. Philly was tagged for four penalties for 30 yards. They didn’t come close to covering a mammoth 17-point spread (as the Giants rested almost all their key starters), and fell well short of the 43.5 total.
Carl Cheffers Officiating 2022 Betting Trends
| Games | Moneyline – Favorite | ATS – Favorite | O/U Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 12-5 | 8-9 | 7-10 |
Ten of Cheffers’ 12 officiated career playoff games have gone under, with one hitting right on the number. In their only action of the playoffs this year, Cheffers’ crew whistled 10 penalties for 69 total yards in the Bengals’ 27-10 win over the Bills in he AFC Divisional Playoff.
Eight of those were on the home-side Bills, who were also a 6-point favorite. The teams fell well short of the 48.5-point total.
As for the Super Bowls: underdogs are 2-0 both straight up and against the spread.
How Can Officiating Affect Chiefs vs Eagles Lines?
I think the total is going to be more affected by a stout Philadelphia defense that will try to create front-four pressure on Patrick Mahomes to allow for plenty of defenders in coverage.
Conversely, KC defensive coordinator Steve Spagnulo showed he has the ability to dial up big-game specific sets to stall offenses.
Do penalties level the playing field? Consider that in Cheffer-refereed games that the underdog has gone an impressive 42-24-2 against the spread — the second-best mark of any NFL referee over that span.
The Chiefs’ history with this official has not been great. However, as an underdog, that bodes well for a KC side that is being given an extra two points.
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Having worked in and around sports since 1997, Eric is truly a knowledgeable expert. The two-time journalism grad specializes in all things NBA and NFL. From TSN.ca to CTV's Olympic Broadcast Consortium, Eric's work has appeared in local and national publications alike.
