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.
Facts about Super Bowl 57 Officiating Crew:
• Carl Cheffers’ crew will be officiating the game
• This crew led the NFL in penalties per game in the regular season
• They led the league in penalties in back-to-back seasons (3x in the last decade) pic.twitter.com/Clsewp6kqs— PointsBet Sportsbook (@PointsBetUSA) January 31, 2023
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.
#Chiefs DL Chris Jones implores the NFL to review roughing calls after his controversial call against the Raiders on Monday night. @usatodaysports pic.twitter.com/Vg23d1t8K7
— Safid Deen 💯💯💯💯 (@Safid_Deen) October 11, 2022
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.
Travis Kelce on referee Carl Cheffers after the Steelers/Chiefs 2016 AFC divisional round game. pic.twitter.com/nz5Nnk4W2g
— Chase Snyder (@ChasingSnyder) February 8, 2021
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.
Fox Rules Analyst, Dean Blandino, is here to calm down #Chiefs fans worried about Carl Cheffers as ref in #SuperBowlLVII pic.twitter.com/UgH9kVbtzW
— Starcade Media (@StarcadeMediaKC) February 7, 2023
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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