Everything you need to know
One of the more underrated aspects that influence the way Super Bowls are played is the crew that is selected to officiate them.
The NFL announced that veteran Carl Cheffers and his crew will oversee play for Super Bowl 57 between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.
This will mark the third time in the past six Super Bowls – including two of the last three – that Cheffers, who is the vice president of the NFL Referees Association, will be the referee of the NFL’s final game of the season. Cheffers, 62, came into the league as a side judge in 2000; he was promoted to referee in 2008.
Here’s everything you need to know about the officials for Super Bowl 57.
Who are the Super Bowl 57 officials?
Referee: Carl Cheffers Umpire: Roy Ellison
Down Judge: Jerod Phillips Line Judge: Jeff Bergman Field Judge: John Jenkins Side Judge: Eugene Hall Back Judge: Dino Paganelli Replay Official: Mark Butterworth
Which of the Super Bowl 57 officials have Super Bowl experience?
Five of the eight officials have Super Bowl experience: Cheffers (Super Bowl 55, 52); Ellison (53, 42); Bergman (53, 31); Hall (55, 53) and Paganelli (54, 47). Together, they have a combined decade of Super Bowl experience.
This will be Cheffers’ second time officiating a Super Bowl in a game in which Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are playing. The first was Super Bowl 55, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers topped Kansas City 31-9.
How does the NFL choose officials for the playoffs?
The NFL determines postseason assignments based on a grading system used to evaluate officials’ performance every week. The best-graded officials will then be assigned to work playoff games. Officials are on year-to-year contracts and for those who are not up to par, it could mean remediation, a demotion or being asked not to come back the next season.
How frequently does Cheffers’ crew throw flags?
Per NFLpenalties.com, Cheffers’ crew worked 17 games this season (including a divisional round playoff game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills) and threw 214 penalty flags (26 declined, four offsetting) which averages to be 12.6 flags thrown.
That mark was most for all officiating crews during the 2022 season. In fact, Cheffers’ crew also led the NFL last season in flags thrown per game, with 13.9.