Tag: Carl Cheffers

NFL assigns Carl Cheffers as referee for Falcons vs. Saints

Carl Cheffers and his crew will be responsible for the officiating in Sunday’s matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons:

Carl Cheffers and his crew will be responsible for the officiating in Sunday’s matchup between the Falcons and the Saints. Cheffers has thrown 97 total flags this season, 28 of which were on the home team and 45 of which were on the away team.

That’s an average of roughly 12 total flags per game for a total of 589 yards, good for roughly middle of the pack in the league.

The last time the Saints played a game with Cheffers officiating was on Dec. 17, 2023 against the New York Giants. He called six penalties against the Saints for a total of 58 yards. New Orleans recorded a dominant victory in that one, 24-6. The Saints are 15-4 in games which Cheffers has refereed.

The Falcons last saw Cheffers officiating when they played the Detroit Lions on Sept. 24, 2023, wielding four penalties for 24 yards. Atlanta did not get the outcome it wanted in that game, losing 20-6. The Falcons are 7-8 in games with Cheffers at head referee.

It will be interesting to see what happens, with the Falcons highly favored, as both teams are set to kick off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 10.

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Giants-Bengals referee assignment could lead to shootout

A Week 6 game between the New York Giants and Cincinnati Bengals will be officiated by Carl Cheffers, which could result in a shootout.

The New York Giants (2-3) host the Cincinnati Bengals (1-4) at MetLife Stadium on Sunday Night Football in Week 6.

The crew of referee Carl Cheffers will officiate the game, which could lead to the teams playing a wide-open, high-scoring contest.

According to Sharp Football, in games Cheffers’ crew was on the field, the over has hit in all four games, averaging 53.5 total points. The O/U in Sunday’s game is currently 47.

In addition, since 2016, home teams are 82-53 on the moneyline (62%) with Cheffers officiating, including 3-1 in 2024.

Other things of note about Cheffers’ crew this year:

  • The Carl Cheffers crew is averaging the fewest penalties per game through five weeks of the season with a slightly above-average 57% being called on the offense.
  • The Bengals have consistently been one of the least penalized teams in the Zac Taylor/Joe Burrow era. That continues in the 2024 season. Discipline isn’t the issue for this team. It’s simply a lack of manpower on the defensive side of the ball.
  • The Giants’ defense is a top-five unit at generating false starts and offensive holding penalties on opposing offenses. Only the Broncos defense can make the same claim after five weeks of the season.
  • The Giants have been an above-average penalized offense early in the season. However, they have faced a gauntlet of defensive units in the early going. That includes the Browns and Seahawks on the road and the Cowboys and Vikings at home. The 2024 Bengals’ defense represents a huge dropoff in the level of defensive competition.
  • The Bengals’ defense ranks below average at generating pressure and offensive penalties on opposing offenses.

Bengals games are averaging a league-high 57 combined points per game and according to BetMGM, 58 percent of the action is on the over.

The Bengals are 3.5-point favorites and the betting public is not wavering with 79 percent of the wagers on Cincinnati to cover.

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Veteran referee Carl Cheffers assigned to Week 15 Saints-Giants game

Veteran referee Carl Cheffers has been assigned to Week 15’s Saints-Giants game. New Orleans has more wins with him on the field than any other referee:

Veteran referee Carl Cheffers has been assigned to Week 15’s game between the New Orleans Saints and New York Giants, which should be good news for Saints fans. The black and gold have more wins with Cheffers on the field than any other referee, having gone 14-4 since 2008.

That’s not to say Cheffers is playing favorites; the infractions he and his crew look for may just happen to be things the Saints do a good job avoiding. Or, more likely, most of his games with New Orleans fell during the winningest era in franchise history with Drew Brees and Sean Payton calling the shots.

At any rate: this year, Cheffers’ crew is averaging the seventh-fewest penalty flags per game (11.5) with a near-even split between home teams and visitors. They’ve fouled teams more often for false starts (28 of them) and offensive holding (24) than anything else, but the handsy Saints secondary must watch out — Cheffers’ crew has thrown 11 penalty flags for defensive pass interference in as many games.

New York averages just 5.4 penalties for 44.6 yards per game each week, which ranks in the bottom-10 in the league in both areas. New Orleans is averaging 6.1 fouls (which is 18th) and 55.5 yards per game (9th-most, troublingly), largely due to those defensive pass interference infractions. No team averages more yards lost per game to DPI penalties than the Saints (16.8). They’ll need to be careful in coverage and keep it clean.

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Every turning point in Super Bowl LVII

Here’s every turning point in Super Bowl LVII, one of the most thrilling Super Bowls we’ll ever see.

For the second time in his three Super Bowl appearances, Patrick Mahomes overcame a double-digit deficit to give the Kansas City Chiefs the Lombardi Trophy. Down 21-14 at the half, and with a serious disadvantage in time of possession, Mahomes did what he does in the second half — he took over, did all his wizard stuff, and brought the Chiefs back from the edge of defeat with a 38-35 victory.

It was a majestic performance, though Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts may have actually outdone Mahomes in defeat. While Mahomes completed 21 of 27 passes for 187 yards, three touchdowns, and a passer rating of 131.8, Hurts completed 27 of 38 passes for 304 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 103.4.

Where Hurts overwhelmed everybody in the game was on the ground — he ran the ball 15 times for 70 yards and three touchdowns.

But in the end, it was the things the Chiefs did right in the second half — and one penalty we’ll be talking about for a VERY long time — that gave the Chiefs the edge.

Here is every turning point in one of the most thrilling Super Bowl’s we’ve ever seen.

Who is the referee Carl Cheffers, and why do Chiefs fans fear him?

The Chiefs have a long history with Carl Cheffers.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday, during his pre-Super Bowl interview, the league’s officiating has never been better. I’m willing to bet more than a few people disagree.

One thing for certain, though, is you typically don’t hear complaints about officiating from fans of the team that won. Officials will never be perfect, so when angry fans need someone to point a finger at, the people in striped outfits are an easy target.

But when it comes to Carl Cheffers, the lead referee for the Super Bowl 2023 officiating crew, wins and losses have little to do with how Kansas City Chiefs fans feel. They aren’t happy to see him in this game, and there’s a chance Philadelphia Eagles fans won’t be either after the game is done.

Not only did Cheffers’ crew lead the league in penalties during the regular season, they’re also the crew that flagged Chiefs’ defensive tackle Chris Jones for a bogus roughing the passer penalty on Derek Carr in Week 5.

And Cheffers’ history with the Chiefs goes back even further.

After a divisional round playoff loss in the 2016 season, Travis Kelce said the referee shouldn’t even be allowed in a foot locker.

So, yeah, it’s safe to say Chiefs fans are a little nervous about the officiating crew for this game. But FOX Sports rules analyst Dean Blandino said they shouldn’t be, pointing to Cheffers’ experience.

And he’s not completely wrong. Five members of the eight-person officiating crew have Super Bowl experience, including Cheffers himself who has been on the field for two Super Bowls, the most recent in 2021 between the Chiefs and Buccaneers — which the Chiefs loss.

But KC actually has a winning record in games refereed by Cheffers, unlike the Eagles. So there’s a good chance nobody will be happy to see him and his crew on Sunday.

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What Super Bowl 2023 referee Carl Cheffers does as a day job away from the NFL

Here’s the answer for what he does when he’s not an NFL referee.

Your Super Bowl 2023 referee for Super Bowl 57 is Carl Cheffers, who hasn’t made Kansas City Chiefs fans happy in the past.

But if you’re here, you might know that NFL officials don’t work for the league year round. They have day jobs — years ago, I detailed some of those NFL referee day jobs, from dairy farmer to lawyer to founder of a sanitary supply company.

So what does Cheffers do when he’s not throwing yellow hankies and wearing zebra stripes on Sundays? Per a feature on Referee.com, Cheffers works for a “a company that manufactures automobile batteries,” and apparently that’s Johnson Controls Batteries:

There you have it.

Referee Carl Cheffers assigned to work Chiefs-Eagles Super Bowl LVII game

The #Chiefs will get referee Carl Cheffers for the third time this season in their Super Bowl LVII matchup against the #Eagles.

15-year NFL referee Carl Cheffers and an all-star crew are set to officiate the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVII matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.

This is the third time that the Chiefs have drawn Cheffers this season. He and his crew officiated their Week 15 game against the Houston Texans. They also officiated the Week 5 game against the Las Vegas Raiders. That Week 5 game featured a controversial roughing the passer penalty against DT Chris Jones. Cheffers and his crew were nearly booed out of Arrowhead Stadium during the game and looked quite shaken by the fan response. That penalty and another on 49ers DE Nick Bosa sparked a league-wide debate about roughing the passer.

In those two previous regular season games, Cheffers and his crew called 30 total penalties, 15 total penalties against Kansas City and 15 total penalties on their opponents. The Chiefs had a combined 174 penalty yards called against them in those two games.

Kansas City has a long history with Cheffers and his crew, though. Travis Kelce was fined for criticism of Cheffers after the 18-16 AFC divisional round loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2016. Those comments were quite inflammatory:

“It’s ignorance, the ref, No. 51 (Carl Cheffers), should never be allowed to wear a Zebra jersey again,” Kelce said. “He shouldn’t even be able to work at *expletive* foot locker.”

This also isn’t the only Chiefs Super Bowl that Cheffers has officiated. He was the head referee for Super Bowl LV against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — a game where the K.C. was penalized 11 times for 120 yards. The Bucs were penalized just four times for 39 yards.

It’s understandable why FOX rules analyst Dean Blandino was asked about any potential concerns for bias during Super Bowl media week.

Beyond the bad history, Cheffers and his crew had the second-highest total count in the league (244) and the highest accepted penalty count (214). The 30 dismissed penalties were right around the league average for the NFL. His 1869 penalty yards led the NFL by 89 yards more than the next closest crew (through 17 games).

Cheffers’ crew also had the highest rate of defensive pass interference penalties in the league this season (17). Kansas City, of course, led the NFL in defensive pass interference penalties called against (15). On the flip side, Cheffers and his crew called the fifth-most offensive holding penalties (41) and the second-most false start penalties (40). Philadelphia had the most penalized offensive line in the league this season. Eight of those penalties came on an ineligible man downfield penalty (lots of RPOs), which Cheffers’ crew called just four times this season.

Perhaps the only saving grace for this game is that Cheffers is not officiating the game with his normal crew. That might lead to some different tendencies in this matchup, but it’s likely to be a game with a high number of penalties called. I’d be shocked if there were fewer than 10 total penalties called on both teams.

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Rules analyst Dean Blandino assured Chiefs fans Carl Cheffers will officiate Super Bowl fairly

Rules analyst Dean Blandino did his best to allay #Chiefs fans’ angst ahead of a Carl Cheffers-officiated Super Bowl.

Kansas City Chiefs fans have been worried about the Super Bowl since news broke in January that the big game would be officiated by referee Carl Cheffers, who some perceive to have a vendetta against the team due to recent matchups he has officiated.

One of the most notable games Cheffers officiated for Kansas City was Super Bowl LV. During that game, Cheffers penalized the Chiefs 11 times for 120 yards compared to the Buccaneers’ four penalties for 39 yards. Cheffers is known to be quick to throw the penalty flag, but he was chosen to officiate the Super Bowl this season due to exceeding in metrics that the NFL has determined are indicative of successful referees.

FOX rules analyst Dean Blandino, the NFL’s former head of officiating, did his best to allay Chiefs fans’ concerns about the Super Bowl matchup during media availability this week. He told reporters that Cheffers’ crew is just as worried about their potential impact on the game as fans are.

Check out his response below:

While nothing that Blandino could say would totally negate the angst of Kansas City fans across the country, it is worth remembering that Cheffers’ legacy would be negatively affected by a bad performance on Sunday. The Super Bowl is the NFL’s biggest stage, and all parties are fully invested in making the occasion go off without a hitch.

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The Chiefs haven’t made the Super Bowl yet, but their fans are already furious about the game’s referee

They’re already saying it’s rigged.

The Kansas City Chiefs are appearing in their fifth straight conference title game and are only a win away from their third Super Bowl appearance in that span. But they still need to win Sunday’s game against the Bengals before they can start worrying about the Super Bowl referee assignment.

Some Chiefs fans, though, have skipped that step.

The NFL announced its officiating crew on Tuesday for Super Bowl 57, and Carl Cheffers — who served as referee in Super Bowl 51 and 55 — is getting the nod once again as lead referee. Chiefs fans, of course, remember Cheffers’ work in Super Bowl 55 where the Chiefs were called for 120 penalty yards on 11 penalties.

But Cheffers hasn’t been kind to the Chiefs in general, which includes this year. Cheffers has accounted for 17 percent of the Chiefs’ total penalties and 20 percent of their penalty yards this season (postseason included) despite only working two of their games.

In the Chiefs’ Week 15 game against the Texans, Kansas City was called for 10 penalties and 102 yards. So, it’s understandable that the Chiefs wouldn’t be thrilled to see Cheffers get that assignment. Still, it was odd to see Chiefs fans upset over the ref for a game they haven’t made yet.

NFL announces Carl Cheffers as Super Bowl LVII referee

Carl Cheffers will be the referee for Super Bowl LVII. You can draw your own conclusions.

If the Kansas City Chiefs get past the Cincinnati Bengals to make it to Super Bowl LVII, Kansas City super-defensive lineman Chris Jones might want to be very, very careful when going after either Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, or San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.

Why? Because on Tuesday, the NFL announced that Carl Cheffers will be the referee for the big game this time around.

Let’s go back to the Chiefs’ Week 5 30-29 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, in which Jones was busted for a roughing the passer penalty that — like most roughing the passer penalties — didn’t make a lot of sense in the moment.

The call negated the sack, and the Chiefs’ fumble recovery. Reaction was swift, and severe. Cheffers and his crew were serenaded with boos throughout the rest of the game, which seemed to make Cheffers a bit uneasy as the game progressed.

Everybody from FOX Sports analyst and former NFL VP of Officiating Mike Pereira, to Dallas Cowboys pass-rushing star Micah Parsons, to occasional NFL analyst and full-time conservative pundit Tony Dungy were in agreement in their disagreement.

It didn’t help that Cheffers couldn’t even get Jones’ number right when he called the “penalty.”

Micah Parsons rips brutal roughing the passer call on Chiefs’ Chris Jones

Make what you will of the NFL’s insistence that officials are rewarded with the biggest games for their top performances… we’ve all seen how that works out. That said, Cheffers is just one of a number of officials who have seriously underperformed in the 2022 season, so maybe this is a case of the best of the worst?