Chiefs vs Cheffers

The latest newsletter from KCSN's Sports Data Scientist, Joseph Hefner

Carl Cheffers is the referee for Super Bowl LVII, along with an “all-star” crew. This news was not taken well by Chiefs fans, who remember the last time he was the referee for a Super Bowl. 2020, Chiefs vs Bucs. Not a fun memory for a lot of us.

In that game, the Chiefs were called for 8 penalties in the first half (TB with 1, an offsides). 3 holdings, 2 pass interference, and 1 each of unnecessary roughness, offsides, and unsportsmanlike conduct. Again, all in the first half.

Both pass interference calls, and the unsportsmanlike conduct, were called in the last drive before half. The unsportsmanlike conduct didn’t really matter, as they scored a TD on that play anyway, and the time was basically already run out. The PI’s, though? Those mattered. They got 42 yards out of those two penalties.

Should we expect much the same for this Super Bowl, or was that game an aberration? Let’s take a look at the numbers and find out.