Who are the referees for Chiefs vs. Chargers? KC's unofficial 12th man for Week 4

The LA Chargers host the Kansas City Chiefs for the first time in the Jim Harbaugh era with the team's back against the wall.

Beating the two-time defending Super Bowl Champions is already hard enough and in Week 4, the Chargers' laundry list of injuries will make the task even tougher. Star quarterback Justin Herbert is expected to play but is still doing so on a compromised lower half in front of an offensive line that is not at full strength.

And if all that was not hard enough, the Chargers also have to enter the game looking over their shoulder. It has become a bit of a trend for the Chiefs to receive favorable calls in recent years and Chargers fans are expecting no different in Week 4.

Referees for Chargers vs Chiefs in Week 4:

The main referee for Sunday's game between the Chargers and Chiefs is Shawn Smith. Smith has been a head referee for seven seasons. The rest of Smith's crew is as followed:

• Umpire: Alex Moore
• Down Judge: Jay Bilbo
• Line Judge: Jeff Seeman
• Field Judge: Dyrol Prioleau
• Side Judge: Boris Cheek
• Back Judge: Dino Paganelli

As mentioned, the Chiefs have already been on the receiving end of some favorable calls in recent weeks and history tells us that may continue in Week 4.

Home teams have been particularly bad in games with Smith and his officiating crew. For whatever reason, home teams get an anti-advantage when Smith rolls into town. That is important to keep in mind while watching the Chargers and Chiefs.

Home teams went a staggering 3-14 in games Smith officiated last season. Home teams are starting to buck that trend a tad with a 2-1 record thus far in 2024 but there is even more bad juju surrounding Smith's officiating crew.

Last year, Smith and Co. called one of the most frustrating Chargers games of the year: a 41-38 loss to the Detroit Lions. That loss was on Brandon Staley's defense, not the officiating, but it is worth noting.

It is also worth noting that Smith and his crew officiated the Chargers' AFC Wild Card Round loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. When Smith is in the building, bad things seem to happen to the Chargers.

All in all, the Bolts are 2-4 in games Smith has officiated since Herbert was drafted. In that same time span, the Chiefs are 4-2 in games Smith has officiated.