GLENDALE, Ariz. — Most of the sports world’s attention will be on Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts during Super Bowl LVII on Sunday at State Farm Stadium.

Some focus, too, will be on the NFL officiating crew, particularly Carl Cheffers, the referee for the group that will oversee the game. The officials for the Super Bowl are effectively an all-star crew, made up of the highest-rated at each position. As a result, Cheffers will have just one of his regular-season crew (side judge Eugene Hall) on the field with him Sunday.

Earlier in the week, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell raised eyebrows when he stated that the officiating in the league is the best it ever has been. That didn’t sit well with many football fans, who watched the crews officiating the conference championship games botch some significant calls.

This will be Cheffers’ third Super Bowl as referee. He made his Super Bowl debut in 2017 when the Patriots beat the Falcons. Four years later, he returned for the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl LV win over the Chiefs. In that game, his crew called 11 penalties for 120 yards against Kansas City and just four for 39 yards against the Buccaneers.

Here are some things to watch out for in this game: Cheffers’ crew called an average of 12.59 penalties per game this season, which was 1.48 more than the NFL average. Those penalties equated to an average of 109.94 penalty yards per game, which is 18.68 more than the league average. Cheffers’ crew called the second-most pass interference penalties in the NFL this season.

The Eagles are 6-8 in games refereed by Cheffers, a record that includes a divisional round loss to the Saints in the 2018 playoffs. The Eagles are 2-2 over the past five years in games Cheffers has reffed.

The Chiefs are 16-7 in the 23 games refereed by Cheffers. Cheffers refereed two Chiefs games in 2022 — a Week 5 win against the Raiders and a Week 15 overtime win against the Texans.

For betting trends, since 2010 the Under’ is 10-1 in playoff games refereed by Cheffers. In Cheffers’ previous two Super Bowls, the underdog won the game outright.

Two great quotes during the week from Hurts:

When asked what his best play of the season was, Hurts said, “My best play of the season? The season’s not over.’’

When speaking about the Eagles running game, which set a team record for most rushing touchdowns this season, Hurts said, “In our run game, you have interchangeable pieces back there where everybody’s kind of eating. All those guys, I always tell them, ‘When your phone rings, answer it.’ ’’

Mississippi will have a big role in this Super Bowl. There are a total of 12 players from the state in this Super Bowl.

“It’s special to have that many players from Mississippi,’’ said Eagles defensive lineman Fletcher Cox, a native of Yazoo City who went to Mississippi State. “Who would have thought we’d have 12 players from Mississippi playing in the Super Bowl? All of us come from small towns. We all get to represent state of Mississippi, and it’s very special.’’

Eagles receiver A.J. Brown, from Starkville and Ole Miss, said: “It means everything to the town of Starkville. I know they’re proud of us. We lived in the country. It shows to the kids, you can make it out if you put your mind to it and take the right route.’’

There is no National Anthem quite like the one that is sung before a Super Bowl. Some are stretched out, some are short and sweet, all are seen and heard by millions and millions of viewers.  

This was not lost on Eagles coach Nick Sirianni. He acknowledged the significance of the song, the moment and the feeling he anticipates Sunday in the minutes before Super Bowl LVII.

“That’s something I’ve always thought about,’’ Sirianni said. “What might it be like to hear the National Anthem at a Super Bowl. The moment I remember growing up as a kid in Jamestown, New York, near the Buffalo area, I remember that Whitney Houston one where she sang, the Bills vs. the Giants, and how powerful it was. You get goosebumps thinking about it, like ‘Get me ready to play that game.’ You think about that.

“And then you go and become a player in different sports and you’re feeling that moment in there and you think about being in that moment of the Super Bowl, of listening to the National Anthem, how much that’s gonna mean, because it makes you think of all the hard work you had to go through to get to the moment that you’re in right now. It will be a good feeling. I’m not going to let myself get wrapped up in that feeling, because right after that we’re going to have a job to do. But, I will let myself enjoy that moment for a second and enjoy that feeling, because there was a lot of hard work, a lot of people that helped me get to this spot I’m in right now.’’

This year, country singer Chris Stapleton will sing the National Anthem.