Pats-Steelers Ref Terry McAulay Has Favorable History For Road Teams
BOSTON (CBS) -- The referee in charge of Sunday evening's AFC Championship Game will be Terry McAulay, according to FootballZebras.com.
That could be very welcome news for the Pittsburgh Steelers -- or at least, for bettors backing the Steelers.
According to Sports Insights, road teams have been remarkably successful against the spread when McAulay is in charge, to the tune of a 77-51 record ATS.
With the Patriots currently sitting as six-point favorites, it seems as though a close game just might be in store come Sunday evening. And taking the Steelers plus-6 might be the smart move.
However, the trend hasn't exactly followed McAulay to New England. As a referee, he has worked eight games at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots have covered the spread in five of those games, and they've gone 7-1 overall in those games (the lone loss was the Week 17 scrimmage against the Bills in 2014). He was also the referee for Super Bowl XXXIX, when the Patriots beat the Eagles 24-21 in a game in which New England was favored by seven points.
McAulay did end up in the news earlier this season, coincidentally in a game that involved the Steelers. Receiver Odell Beckham Jr. complained about McAulay's crew for what he considered a one-sided affair.
"There's plenty of calls in the game, and anybody can go watch the film. Anybody. Anybody can go watch the film and see exactly what was going on. I don't know. I don't really think that we should have this crew anymore … with the past history and everything that's going on," Beckham said, referencing the famed fight-fest between the Giants and Panthers in 2015, which McAaulay's crew also officiated.
Of course, in the postseason, McAulay won't be working with his usual officiating crew, as the NFL insists upon assembling "all-star crews" for the playoffs.
