Shawn Smith to Referee Super Bowl 60; See Betting Trends for Smith’s Games

• Shawn Smith will referee Super Bowl 60 between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots
• Underdogs are covering at a 55.3% clip since Smith became a head offical in 2018
• See the betting trends from Smith’s games historically and this season below

The Super Bowl 60 matchup is set, as is the referee assignments. Shawn Smith has been granted head official status, which is a welcome sight for Patriots backers. New England is 2-0 both straight up and against the spread this season with Smith as the head official. Seattle fans are likely not so excited.

Sam Darnold is 1-3 straight up in games with Smith as the head official, while head coach Mike McDonald lost his only game with Smith involved last season, as a favorite against the Giants.

Keep reading for Shawn Smith’s betting trends, plus how they could affect the outcome of Seahawks vs Patriots in Super Bowl 60.

Shawn Smith Betting Trends for Super Bowl 60

Smith’s calling card is that he doesn’t call a ton of penalties, especially against offensive lines. He averaged just 11.82 penalties per game, which was in the bottom-third of the 17 full-time referees. Smith called only 29 accepted offensive holding calls in 2025, which was the second fewest of any official. Last year, it was more of the same, as he was tied for the third fewest accepted offensive holding calls.

On paper, those trends shouldn’t affect Seattle or New England, as they rank middle of the pack in accepted offensive holding calls this season. The Pats however, have looked vulnerable on the o-line in the postseason, which could lead to a few extra holding calls versus the Seahawks fierce pass rush.

Shawn Smith 2025 Referee Stats

Speaking of pass rushers, Smith is also not a fan of roughing the passer penalties, as he called only three all season. Defensive holding and pass inference however, is a completely different story.

The 11-year veteran called 23 accepted pass interference penalties, which was the second most of any official. He also called 22 defensive holding penalties, which ranked second as well, after calling the most defensive holding penalties in 2024.

You’re probably wondering who that favors among our Super Bowl combatants, but both teams commit fewer of those fouls than more than half of the other NFL teams.

While those penalty trends shouldn’t play a huge role in determining the winner in the Super Bowl odds, there are some clear metrics favoring the underdog against the spread.

Smith is routinely involved in close scoring games. As head official, the 129 games he’s called have an average margin of victory of just 4.9 points. That’s significant because the early Seahawks vs Patriots odds movement has seen the spread move to Seattle -4.5. Currently, three-quarters of the tickets and handle are on the Seahawks, meaning it won’t be long before the number ticks up.

Favorites have won outright at a 68% clip (87-41-1) in Smith officiated games, but underdogs have covered 55.3% of the time (68-55-6). Favorites were 9-8 against the spread this season, which marked the first time in six years that underdogs haven’t finished with an above .500 ATS mark in contests Smith officiated.

Underdogs in Smith’s games have been even more profitable in the playoffs, recording a 5-2 ATS mark, with four outright victories. They’re covering by an average of 3.3 points per postseason game, beating the spread in three of the past four instances, with two upset wins.

Shawn Smith’s History Refereeing Seahawks & Patriots Games

Not only was New England 2-0 straight up and ATS with Smith as head official this season, but Mike Vrabel led teams are 6-3 straight up in the nine games that Smith has been lead referee.

As for Seattle, the Darnold-McDonald combo have never been together for a Smith game, but Seattle has failed to cover in each of their last three outings Smith has been head official for dating back to 2022.

There are also trends pointing to the game total under and the ‘dog when Smith officiates at Levi’s Stadium, the site of Super Bowl 60. Three of those five games have come in under the total, with the underdog covering three times. Underdogs are 13-5 ATS in the last 18 Super Bowls, while the over/under is split 11-11 in the last 22 Title Games.

Check out SBD’s full Super Bowl 60 coverage:

• Patriots/Seahawks Odds Movement for SB60
• A.I. Super Bowl Picks for Patriots vs Seahawks
• Seahawks vs Patriots Player Props – Passing, Rushing, Receiving Lines for Super Bowl
• Seahawks vs Patriots TD Scorer Odds & Picks for Super Bowl 60
• Early Super Bowl MVP Odds for Seahawks vs Patriots

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