The New England Patriots will have more than Pittsburgh’s pass rush and a familiar AFC opponent to account for Sunday afternoon.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported Sunday morning that Carl Cheffers will serve as referee for the Patriots’ Week 2 home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium.
The duty carries an eye-catching bit of recent history: Cheffers’ crew worked the Giants-Cowboys opener in Week 1, a game that produced 19 accepted penalties for 204 yards.
Cheffers has been an official in the league since 2000, and a referee since 2008. His crew worked Giants-Cowboys in Week 1 (19 accepted penalties/204 yards).
That was a significant jump from the league’s opening-week baseline. Pro Football Reference’s officiating data lists the 2026 NFL average at 14.87 accepted penalties and 123.13 penalty yards per game through Week 1.
Cheffers’ Crew Entered 2026 After Penalty-Heavy Season
The Week 1 total was extreme, but Cheffers’ crew was already on the higher end of the penalty spectrum last season.
NFL Penalty Stats Tracker credited Cheffers’ crew with 242 accepted penalties for 1,858 yards over 17 games in 2025. That works out to 14.24 penalties and 109.29 yards per game. Pro Football Reference lists the corresponding NFL averages at 12.51 penalties and 100.59 yards.
Offensive holding was the most common call on the crew’s 2025 ledger, with 44 accepted penalties. The group also called 21 defensive pass interference penalties and 50 false starts.
There’s some important context before attaching a permanent label to Cheffers. His 2024 numbers went in the other direction. Pro Football Reference lists his crew at 10.63 penalties and 83.56 yards per game that season, both comfortably below the NFL averages of 12.80 penalties and 103.67 yards.
Still, his latest sample gives last Sunday a little more intrigue. The Patriots were flagged seven times for 50 yards in their Week 1 loss to Seattle, while the Steelers drew seven penalties for 52 yards in their 20-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Patriots Have Familiar History With Cheffers at Gillette Stadium
Cheffers is one of the NFL’s most experienced referees. The NFL said when it selected him for Super Bowl LI that he entered the league as a side judge in 2000 and was promoted to referee in 2008.
New England fans also have a memorable connection to his postseason action. Cheffers was the referee for Super Bowl LI, when the Patriots erased a 28-3 deficit and beat Atlanta 34-28 in overtime. He later worked two more Super Bowls as referee, including Super Bowl LVII.
His more recent history in Foxborough is less dramatic.
Cheffers was the referee when the Seattle Seahawks visited the Patriots in Week 2 of the 2024 season. Seattle won 23-20 in overtime, but flags hardly dominated the afternoon. New England finished with only three accepted penalties for 42 yards, while Seattle had six for 50.
That older game is also a reminder that officiating trends can swing from season to season and assignment to assignment.
In the end, Cheffers’ presence won’t decide how the afternoon unfolds, but after his crew’s 19-penalty opener, No. 51 may be a little easier to notice than usual.
Patriots-Steelers Draw Referee From 28-3 Comeback vs. Falcons, Coming Off 204-Yard Penalty Game