Ron Torbert to Referee Super Bowl 59; See Betting Trends for Torbert’s Games This Season
By Chris Amberley in NFL Football
Published:
- Ron Torbert will referee Super Bowl 59 between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs
- Over the past four seasons, 64% of the games Torbert has refereed have gone under the total
- Keep reading for more betting trends from Torbert’s games this season
The Super Bowl 59 matchup is finally set, as is the officiating crew for the Big Game. Ron Torbert has been named referee for the Eagles vs Chiefs clash, which will mark his second Super Bowl assignment in the last four years.
Ron Torbert 2024 Referee Stats
Torbert was one of the flag-happiest referees in the NFL during the regular season. He and his crew averaged the third-most penalties per game at 16.76, after ranking second in that category a season ago; 58.8% of the games he worked this season went over the total, but as we’ll explore, that number looks like an outlier. It should be noted, that the officiating crew working alongside him for Super Bowl 59 will be different than the group he worked with during the regular season and playoffs.
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Ron Torbert Betting Trends
Torbert got the call for Super Bowl 56 between the Bengals and Rams, a game that fell short of the total despite featuring two explosive offenses. Torbert and his crew threw just six flags on that night, after averaging 12 per contest throughout the year.
That follows a trend of him letting teams play more physical in the postseason. He refereed the Commanders-Lions Divisional Round contest last week, and called only nine penalties. Dating back to the 2020 season, he’s averaged just 9.5 flags per playoff game.
Yes, it was profitable to bet overs in Torbert’s games this season, but historically that has not been the case. Over the past four seasons, Torbert games are 43-24-1 (64.2%) to the under. That makes him the most profitable full-time referee to the under during that stretch, ahead of Bill Vinovich and Carl Cheffers.
The opening Eagles vs Chiefs Super Bowl spread shows a total of 49.5, three points short of what the average game Torbert refereed produced in 2024.
The most common penalty called by Torbert’s crew this season was offensive holding. Defensive penalties, such as pass interference and roughing the passer, are backbreakers and can go along way to helping a game soar over the total. Torbert averaged just 1.2 pass interference calls per game, and 0.47 roughing the passer penalties.
Torbert Announcement Draws Criticism
Torbert’s announcement as Super Bowl referee caused quite the stir on social media. NFL fans around the world have dubbed his team “the Mahomes crew” based on a controversial ruling in the 2022 AFC Championship.
Torbert was the official of that contest between the Bengals and Chiefs, and granted a do-over to the Kansas City offense after a critical 3rd down situation. Upon the completion of a 3-and-9 play that should have forced KC to punt, Torbert announced that the clock had stopped and the play shouldn’t have counted.
The favorites in the Super Bowl 59 odds would eventually convert and earn a new set of downs, enraging Cincinnati fans and Chiefs trolls. Ultimately, that KC drive didn’t result in points, but they did go on to win the game and eventually the Super Bowl.
Torbert’s Recent History Calling Eagles and Chiefs Games
Torbert hasn’t called a Chiefs game since. He’s refereed four KC contests in the Mahomes era, with Kansas City posting a 3-1 record in those outings. His crew threw an average of 13.75 flags per contest, with the games averaging a total of 49 points.
As for the Eagles, Torbert has called seven of their contests since the start of the 2021 season. Philadelphia is 5-2 in those matchups, with an average of 11 penalties called and 46.7 points scored per contest.
Both the Eagles and Chiefs saw their Conference Championship games fly over the total, but that was not a common trend this season. Philly was 11-9 to the under, while KC saw 11 of its 19 games fall short of the total. Five of the last six Super Bowls have gone under, including two of the Chiefs three championships runs.
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Sports Writer
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
