Dan Patrick couldn't when it came to NFL guru Peter King during an interview Thursday ... 'cause cops straight-up pulled the legendary football reporter over mid-sentence!!!

It all went down on the 'Dan Patrick Show' ... when DP was doing a phoner with King, discussing some of the hottest topics in the NFL.

But, things got super awkward after the two had a talk over Ezekiel Elliott ... 'cause King says cops were behind him -- and telling him to get off the phone!!!

Which begs the question ... where's the Bluetooth headset, bro?!

"Hey, Dan. Dan. Guess what? This is hilarious," King said live on air. "I got stopped for talking on a cell phone because I'm talking to you. So, now I have to hang up, the cop's coming to the car!"

King had to deal with the police for several minutes before rejoining Dan on the show ... and, of course, Dan's first question was, did ya get off without a ticket??

"Of course, I got a ticket," King said, laughing. "I said to the cop, 'I'm on with Dan Patrick.' And, he said, 'Here's your ticket, yeah.' That was fun."