Head Referee for Bears vs. Titans Week 1 Game Revealed

The long-awaited debut of Caleb Williams is right around the corner as the Chicago Bears take on the Tennessee Titans on Sunday for their season opener. Bears fans will be tuning in at noon CT to watch their No. 1 overall pick in action as they welcome the new era. As we get closer to the date, we are getting more information about the game itself. The referee assignments were revealed on Tuesday and Shawn Smith was announced as the head referee in the Week 1 matchup.

Bears News: Shawn Smith Announced As Head Referee for Bears-Titans

Shawn Smith is entering his seventh season as a head referee in the league. He officiated 16 regular season games and one postseason game in 2023 but wasn't assigned to a Bears game. In fact, he hasn't worked a Chicago game since November 2021. However, the Bears' track record with him in charge should excite the fanbase. In four games, the Bears have gone 3-1 with Smith as the head referee.

One thing that should give Bears fans pause about this assignment is the record of home teams with Smith officiating. Last season, home teams went 3-14 in the games he was the head referee in. That shocking win percentage was the lowest rate of the entire league. He was also more likely to give penalties to the home team relative to the league average as he called 54.37% of penalties against the hosts.

Bears fans will hope that is just a small sample size and it will not translate to this season. Chicago is a 4.5-point favorite against the Titans on FanDuel Sportsbook and hopes to start the season on the right foot.

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