ESPN's Adam Schefter under fire for using Patrick Mahomes as reference for possible NFL change

ESPN's NFL insider Adam Schefter faced criticism on Saturday for his report about the league possibly considering using replay assist when it came to quarterback slides.

NFL fans were upset with Schefter for using Mahomes as a reference point. Still, Schefter used statistics to back up his point. He compared penalties between the Chiefs and their playoff opponents over the course of their eight-game winning streak.

According to researcher Paul Hembo, Kansas City's opponents have been flagged for roughing the passer six times compared to zero times for the Chiefs. When it came to unnecessary roughness, Kansas City's opponents have seen four penalty flags and only one against the Chiefs.

Still, fans were outraged.

Actor Eric Stonestreet, a huge Chiefs fan, called out Schefter on NFL Network.

"He calls out Patrick Mahomes in his tweet like Patrick Mahomes is the only one on the beneficiary end of a roughing the passer call," he said. "He's got the biggest reach in all the NFL and here he's out implying and furthering this conspiracy theory that the league is rigging the game."

Mahomes was asked about the alleged favoritism during the week.

"For me, it's go out there, play hard, try to do whatever I can to win the football game, and then live with the results based on my effort and how I play the game, and that's what we preach here in Kansas City."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.