Dave Portnoy blasts Patrick Mahomes ‘cheap shot’ as NFL fans fury over quarterback’s special treatment returns

Patrick Mahomes may have made history in Brazil, but the Kansas City Chiefs fell to the Los Angeles Chargers 27-21.

After throwing to Travis Kelce for the touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter which brought the Chiefs to within two points, Mahomes passed NFL legend Dan Marino for the most regular season touchdown passes by a player under-30 in league history.

Mahomes finished the game having thrown for 258 yards, and rushed for a team-leading 57 yards, but it wasn’t enough to surpass Justin Herbert, who had a stunning 318 passing yards and three touchdowns.

However it was a play in the third quarter that got NFL fans riled up, and once again claiming that Mahomes and the Chiefs get preferential treatment from the league.

With the Chiefs trailing 13-6 and on a 3rd & 8, Mahomes opted to scramble for the needed yardage, beforerunningout of bounds at the 31-yard line having made a huge gain.

However, before taking himself out of bounds, the two-time NFL MVP appeared to move his shoulder in the direction of Chargers cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor which brings the LA Chargers cornerback down.

While the NFL posted this particular play to their social channels with the caption ‘Mahomes throws his shoulder’, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy did not echo a similar sentiment.

Portnoy blasted the three-time Super Bowl champion online over what he believed was a ‘cheap shot’.

“This should be 15 yards on Mahomes. Such a cheap shot,” Portnoy posted to X (formerly Twitter).

Mahomes avoided a flag for unnecessary roughness but after the play, he could be seen getting up and running back to the line of scrimmage shrugging his shoulders at the Chargers defense.

Responses from fans were mainly in agreement with Portnoy, with many alluding to the fact that Mahomes has gotten away with these types of plays for years.

“Such a bull**** play. Loves acting like he’s running out of bounds cause he knows defenders can’t touch him near the boundary without drawing a flag,” one fan commented on X.

Getty

Getty

X/ @NFL

“Let’s not act like this isn’t the result of him getting calls on the sideline for the last 3 years. Dude pulled off on a hit, I’d expect open season on the sideline from now on,” another wrote.

“If the defender hits him that close to the sideline, he gets flagged. Seen it too many times with Mahomes. Makes it hard to watch Chiefs games,” a third user wrote.

There were some who questioned this, and had little sympathy for the defender.

“If you get trucked by the QB you don’t deserve a flag, you deserve a spot on the practice squad,” one user wrote.

Last season, there was a contentious debate surrounding Mahomes and the Chiefs receiving preferential treatment as they went on a run to the Super Bowl.

But Mahomes has vehemently denied these claims and told the media in January: “I don’t feel that way. I just try to play football at the end of the day.

“The referees are doing their best to call the game as fair and as proper as they can and all you can do is go out there and play the game you love as hard as you can and live with the results.

“So for me, it’s to go out there, play hard, try to do whatever I can to win the football game.”

Tough start

Kansas City Chiefs first six games

Week 1 – @ Los Angeles Chargers L21-27 (Brazil)

Week 2 – v Philadelphia Eagles

Week 3 – @ New York Giants

Week 4 – v Baltimore Ravens

Week 5 – @ Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 6 – v Detroit Lions

After Friday’s loss, in which wide receiver Xavier Worthy was taken out by teammate Kelce on the first drive of the game, Mahomes addressed his team’s slow start.

“I think in general they came out with more energy than we did, he said.

“We didn’t execute. I missed some throws down the field and obviously we didn’t play good enough in the first half.”

The Chiefs are now 0-1 for the second time in three years, having lost to the Detroit Lions in their 2023 season opener – that season, they wound up being Super Bowl champions.

Nonetheless, the Chiefs have a tough home slate to start their 2025 bid for glory with a rematch against the reigning champions Philadelphia Eagles next up at their iconic Arrowhead Stadium.

Thats before the Super Bowl hopeful Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions roll into town.

Stay up to date with the latest from the NFL across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for news, exclusive interviews and more.