Dave Portnoy Goes on Tilt After Broncos-Raiders Bad Beat

Dave Portnoy went on a rant following a shocking result in the Denver Broncos vs Las Vegas Raiders Week 14 NFL matchup this past Sunday. You’ll never believe what caused the Barstool founder to go on tilt in this AFC West matchup.

Worst Bad Beat of the 2025 NFL Season

If you bet on football, you’re well aware of the crazy results that happen every week. What looks like a winning bet can become a loss in an instant, whether that’s through an ill-advised interception, a timely kickoff return, a blocked field goal attempt, or even an egregious call by the referee.

But what caused Portnoy to go off following the Broncos vs Raiders game was quite possibly the worst bad beat of the 2025 NFL season.

What Happened

The Broncos came into this game as nine-point favorites on the point spread. The lowest available number was eight.

With 1:04 left in the fourth quarter, the Broncos had a 24-14 lead. It was 4th and 4 from the Raiders 28-yard-line. Rather than kicking the field goal to go up 13, Broncos head coach Sean Payton opted to go for it, running the ball with RJ Harvey for no gain. Turnover on downs.

The Raiders began the ensuing drive with a two-yard catch by Raheem Mostert, who stopped the clock as he was pushed out of bounds.

52 seconds left. Five-yard catch by Jack Bech. 18 seconds off the clock by the next play, which is a six-yard scramble by Kenny Pickett.

That play took 17 seconds off the clock before Pickett spiked the ball.

Next play with 0:17 on the clock at the Raiders 41-yard-line: 26-yard completion to Tyler Lockett. But he couldn’t get out of bounds and the Raiders had no time outs.

THIS FLAG NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED. THAT IS THE MOST RANDOM BOGUS PHANTOM FLAG OF ALL TIME. THAT REF NEEDS HIS FINANCIAL RECORDS AND HIS CELL PHONE SEIZED. HE HAD TO BE ON THE TAKE. IVE NEVER SEE. ANYTHING LIKE IT. #nflrigged pic.twitter.com/MLxXKPlKvB

— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) December 8, 2025

Broncos safety Brandon Jones was called for a delay of game penalty, which stopped the clock with five seconds left.

At this point, the Raiders had no chance of coming back in this game. Even if they kicked the field goal here, time would expire as they cut the lead to 10. But that didn’t matter to Pete Carroll, who sent out Daniel Carlson, who ultimately drilled the field goal.

Final score: Broncos 24, Raiders 17. Broncos -9 bettors in shambles, including Portnoy.

Portnoy Rants About “Rigged” Outcome

PRISON FOR EVERYBODY!! THAT’S THE BIGGEST RIG JOB IVE EVER SEEN. INVESTIGATE THE NFL. INVESTIGATE PETE CARROLL. IVESTIGATE THE RAIDERS!!! pic.twitter.com/hpEr1JOiqm

— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) December 7, 2025

Portnoy called it the worst beat of all time and said that the Raiders should be investigated.

To be frank: it’s hard to disagree with him here. For one, the penalty was egregious and completely inconsequential to the final result of the game. Secondly, what’s the point of kicking the field goal, especially after Payton avoided kicking one to go up 13 only a few minutes earlier?

Portnoy went on to continue a profanity-laced tirade where he made some inappropriate remarks about Carroll, but his anger was felt by many NFL sports bettors.

Was this the worst bad beat of all-time? Honestly, it’s hard to disagree.