The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL

The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL

The Athletic’s flagship NFL podcast covers the league like only The Athletic can. Host Robert Mays and co-hosts Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman dive into the biggest stories, break down the Xs and Os, and tackle the ins and outs of roster building. They meticulously follow the details of why we all love this sport and have plenty of fun along the way, bringing the expertise necessary to cover the NFL at the highest level. You want year-round draft coverage? You'll get that here, too, with draft expert Dane Brugler. Whether it’s happening on the field or behind the scenes, you’ll get an in-depth look at all things NFL on The Athletic Football Show, available wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

November 5, 2025 58 mins

After a week away, Dane Brugler is back on this episode of The Athletic Football Show's Building the Beast. He and Dave Helman hand out some game balls from Week 10—hello, Arvell Reese—and then turn their attention to under-the-radar prospects making their statements as the season approaches the stretch run.


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Thank you, New York Jets, for making the 2025 NFL Trade Deadline one of the most active on record. First, the Jets swung a blockbuster deal with the Colts for Sauce Gardner. Then, the Jets sent out another supposed pillar of their defense, trading Quinnen Williams to the Cowboys. And it's not like those were the only deals made, either. Jaelen Phillips, Jakobi Meyers and Rashid Shaheed all have new homes, too. Robert Mays, Dave Hel...

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We might not have thought of the Seahawks as Super Bowl contenders before the season began. We definitely do now. They showed us why yet again in their dismantling of the Commanders on Sunday Night Football in Week 9. Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen dive into that performance on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. The guys also discuss the Jaguars' 30-29 win over the Raiders, and the Eagles and Dolphins getting trade deadlin...

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Now that's more like it. After a blowout-filled Week 8, the NFL got back to its down-to-the-wire ways in Week 9. Of course, Bills over Chiefs goes down as the big story of the day, and that's where Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman begin the Week 9 recap episode of The Athletic Football Show. The guys also discuss eye-opening wins for the Steelers and Vikings, a fireworks show between the Bears and Bengals, a puzzling los...

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October 31, 2025 91 mins

We've talked a lot in recent weeks about how every NFL season is going to throw us its fair share of curveballs. There are constants, however, and one of the most constant of the constants is Bills-Chiefs Game of the Week. That's where Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman begin the Week 9 preview episode of The Athletic Football Show. The guys give the "One Thing From..." treatment to Falcons-Patriots, Colts-Steelers and Bro...

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Even a casual NFL fan can tell which quarterbacks, running backs and receivers are among the best in the league. It takes a more discerning eye to watch the tape and understand who's winning in the trenches on the offensive side of the ball. Brandon Thron brings just such an eye to this episode of The Athletic Football Show, where he and Robert Mays dive deep on the offensive line to identify which groups are lifting their teams th...

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We're just about halfway through the NFL season, which means that we know a thing or two—maybe not more, but definitely a thing or two—about this year's rookie class. With that in mind, Dave Helman welcomes Trevor Sikkema from Pro Football Focus to this episode of The Athletic Football Show's Building the Beast to name this season's first half All-Rookie Team.


Rundown (timestamps are approximate)

4:47 Quarterback

10:10 Running Bac...

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It's safe to say that the first half of the 2025 season hasn't gone exactly as the Ravens or Texans drew it up. Yet after big wins for both teams in Week 8, they remain firmly in the mix as we turn toward November. The Buccaneers, meanwhile, are putting real distance between themselves and the rest of the NFC South, despite all their injuries. Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen dig into Bears-Ravens, 49ers-Texans and Saints-Buccaneers ...

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What does a football show have to do to get an exciting Sunday around here? Despite the slate of blowouts and correct predictions, some wins were more legit than others. Is the Philadelphia Eagles offense for real or did they just play a hobbled opponent? Does the Baltimore Ravens win say more about their playoff chances or about the Chicago Bears flaws? And did the Dallas Cowboys loss to the Denver Broncos solidify their presence ...

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Cowboys-Broncos? Packers-Steelers? Browns-Patriots and Giants-Eagles and Panthers-Bills? Sure, those games might not have jumped out at us back in August, but they combine to make Week 8 one of the more compelling slates we've had all season. At least as we sit here previewing them. Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman get you ready for Week 8 on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.


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October 23, 2025 49 mins

Sixty-yard field goals! Landing zones! The K ball! The kicking game seemingly has never played a bigger role in the NFL than it is this season. The Athletic national NFL writers Jourdan Rodrigue and Mike Sando join Robert Mays to dive into The Year of the Kicker in the NFL, how we got to this point, and the effects the rule changes are having on the league on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.


Rundown (timestamps are ap...

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As we get to the final Saturday in October, certain elements of what will be come the 2026 NFL Draft picture are at least approaching a degree of focus. Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, for example, is certainly climbing up the quarterback ranks. Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love is cementing himself as RB1. Jordyn Tyson and Chris Bell are leading a deep group of top-50 wide receivers. Dane Brugler and Dave Helman set the draft...

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The 49ers mash unit defense showed up in a big way against the Falcons. The Chiefs got Rashee Rice back in Week 7, and had one of their best offensive days of the season. Drake Maye and the Patriots took care of business against an inferior Titans team and are now 5-2 on the season. Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen dive into those three games on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. Plus, the guys help sad Titans and Saints fan...

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When we previewed Week 7, we made Colts/Chargers and Rams/Jaguars audition for a Game of the Week spot. Neither of those lived up to the billing, thanks to the dominant performances by the Colts and Rams in their respective wins. Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman wonder whose performance was more impressive in the Week 7 recap episode of The Athletic Football Show. The guys also dig into the craziness of the Broncos comeb...

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Every mini-era of the NFL gives us a handful of short-term rivalries that are the result of teams from different divisions running into one another for a couple years in a row. Buccaneers-Lions is turning into one such rivalry. And hey, given the way they're both playing, this might not be the last time we see them go up against one another this season. Robert Mays, Dave Helman and Derrik Klassen kick off the Week 7 epsiode of The ...

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We're one-third of the way through the NFL regular season, and we know a thing or two about each of the league's 32 teams. We know enough, in fact, to start separating the teams into distinct groups. That's right, it's team tiers time. Robert Mays and Dave Helman drop all 32 teams in one of five buckets—from Super Bowl or Bust to Mock Draft Enthusiasts—on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.


Rundown (timestamps are approx...

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Indiana is the #3 team in the country. Yes, in football. And they aren't the only big surprise this season. Texas A&M, Missouri and Cincinnati all have paths to the Playoff, as well. We've discussed a handful of players from those teams through an NFL Draft lens, but it's not just Fernando Mendoza and Marcel Reed doing work for their respective teams. On this episode of The Athletic Football Show's Building the Beast, Dane Brug...

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The AFC North feels like one big, collective hangover this season, so it's no surprise that both games in the Week 6 Hangover feature teams from the division. All four AFC North teams were going to be in this show, but Browns-Steelers landed on the cutting room floor when the Titans made Brian Callahan the first coach fired this season. That's where Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen begin this episode of The Athletic Football Show. Af...

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Remember that wild time three weeks ago when there were some simmering concerns about the Chiefs? Safe to say those have been put to bed after their convincing win over the Lions on Sunday night. That's where Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman begin the Week 6 recap episode of The Athletic Football Show. The guys also discuss Buccaneers and Seahawks grabbing our attention, the disgusting Broncos-Jets game in London, Rico D...

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The last time the Lions played the Chiefs, they made clear that they had arrived as contenders. Two years later, they just might be the best team in the league. Lions-Chiefs is our first Game of the Week and where Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman kick off the Week 6 preview episode of The Athletic Football Show. The guys also dig into 49ers-Buccaneers, Jaguars-Seahawks, Bears-Commanders and Bills-Falcons; take a ride ove...

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