Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Under Fire for Controversial Play in Win Over 49ers

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes did damage with his legs in Sunday's 28-18 win over the San Francisco 49ers, rushing for 39 yards with one bruising touchdown run.

But one sideline scamper from the Chiefs quarterback drew some criticism, with some accusing Mahomes of using a cheap tactic against the 49ers defense.

Facing a second-and-7 with close to one minute remaining in the third quarter, Mahomes escaped the pocket and ran toward the sideline, then appeared to slow down to step out of bounds. But after pausing, Mahomes continued his run down the sideline and scampered 33 yards.

The run drew some strong reactions, with some comparing it to the "fake slide" that quarterback Kenny Pickett pulled off during a run while in college at Pittsburgh.

"If you liked the Kenny Pickett fake slide you’ll love the Pat Mahomes fake step out," noted the Barstool Sports account in a post on X .

Former NFL quarterback Kurt Benkert suggested that Mahomes manipulated the rules protecting quarterbacks on runs, saying defenses should learn from his play and not ease up on hitting quarterbacks in the future.

"Mahomes run is why QBs should be allowed to get destroyed on the sideline if they don’t get out of bounds," Benkert wrote in a post on X . "You see everyone slow up and get timid near the edge there."

The 33-yard run turned out to be the longest of Mahomes' career. The Chiefs quarterback joked about the record after the game, saying he has some work to do on his longer runs.

“I need to get my yards up because 33 is not that long," Mahomes told Erin Andrews .

Related: Chiefs Seek 6-0 Start vs. 49ers