Dave Portnoy rips refs over Patriots false start vs. Bears

Late in the third quarter in Chicago, the Patriots had 3rd and 1, and then a flag pushed them back 5 yards. Dave did not think the flag was the players' fault.

Dave Portnoy

@stoolpresidente

Refs throw a phantom flag while we are sitting at the line of scrimmage and then dont reset the play clock so we gotta sprint to the line and then get a bullshit false start. Takes us from 3rd and short 1 to 3rd and 6 ALL ON THE REFS

Dave Portnoy

@stoolpresidente

Why is Al Michaels so convinced we’re punting on 4th and 2? Also that entire sequence was a bullshit ref show

Dave says the refs threw a flag while New England was already set at the line, then never reset the play clock, so the offense had to rush back into position and jumped. NESN's game log only records a false start on 3rd and 1 with about a minute left in the third, so the phantom flag and the clock are Dave's account. The cost isn't in dispute, though. A 1-yard conversion became a 6-yard one on a drive the Patriots needed in a close game on the road.

The drive stalled at 4th and 2 near midfield. On the Prime broadcast, Al Michaels kept assuming New England would punt, which made Dave even angrier. Michaels was already having a rough night. Yahoo Sports listed his mistakes, including a fumble call on a Corey Kiner carry when Kiner never lost the ball, and a line saying Drake Maye and Caleb Williams were drafted in 2014 instead of 2024.

Dave Portnoy

@stoolpresidente

Why is Al Michaels so convinced we’re punting on 4th and 2? Also that entire sequence was a bullshit ref show

It didn't get better. NESN's log shows New England also got flagged for a false start on a 4th and 2, and Dave followed with "What a fuck show." That's 2 false starts on the same kind of short-yardage snap, from an offensive line the Boston Globe says is so banged up that backup Matt Pryor was playing. The refs may have started it, but the Patriots kept making it worse. The Bears won 30-24, and Cairo Santos put it away with a 58-yard field goal in the final 2 minutes. Chicago moved to 5-2, and New England dropped to 4-3.

The loss stings more because of how good things looked 3 weeks ago. The Patriots had just beaten Buffalo, Maye looked like himself again, and on Wake Up Barstool on 2026-10-05, Dave was talking about the whole season.

Wake Up Barstool

@wakeupbarstool

“This team is going to win the division and look like a Super Bowl contending team again.” – Dave Portnoy

0:42

That win started a 3-game streak, and it ended Thursday on a short week in Chicago, where the Bears were 3.5-point favorites. After the final whistle Dave posted another selfie video in his Patriots hat. He was not in a panic. He wants a rematch on the biggest stage.

Dave Portnoy

@stoolpresidente

Hopefully we’ll see these guys again in the Superbowl

Here's the honest version. The flag sequence Dave described cost New England a very makeable 3rd down, and the broadcast didn't help. But the Patriots also gave up a long field goal late and committed 2 false starts in short yardage on a night their line was missing bodies. Patriots fans will spend the next few days arguing over how much of that falls on the refs. The 4-3 record isn't changing either way.