The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL

The Athletic

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.

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25 episodes
Updated Today

Episodes25

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Today · 1 hr 14 min
The teams we just can't figure out going into the season
No matter how well you know the NFL, a handful of teams every year are going to throw you for a loop on the doorstep of the season beginning. That doesn't mean they'll be bad, or even that you think they'll be bad. It just means you can't quite put a finger on what they're going to be and how they're going to play. Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman name the teams they can't quite figure out in 2026 on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. 0:00 Welcome to the show 4:41 Packers 18:42 Saints 28:41 Chargers 38:11 Vikings 44:41 Cardinals 52:59 Patriots 1:05:28 Commanders 1:08:35 Chiefs Join The Athletic Football Show Discord Server: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshow Host: Robert Mays Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman Executive Producer: Michael Beller Senior Producer: Katy Duffy Social Producer: Scott Krinch Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_ Theme song: Haunted Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Saturday · 1 hr 43 min
We're going camping! Seahawks, Falcons, Commanders and Ravens
Robert Mays wrapped up his west coast swing at the end of last week, before heading down to the southeast and mid-Atlantic on his training camp travels. That means you get Michael-Shawn Dugar on the Seahawks; Josh Kendall on the Falcons; Nicki Jhabvala on the Commanders; and Jeff Zrebiec on the Ravens on this episode of The Athletic Football Show Rundown (timestamps are approximate) Seahawks 4:52 Falcons 36:22 Commanders 54:25 Ravens 1:20:09 Host: Robert Mays With: Michael-Shawn Dugar, Josh Kendall, Nicki Jhabvala, Jeff Zrebiec Executive Producer: Michael Beller Senior Producer: Katy Duffy Social Producer: Scott Krinch Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_ Theme song: Haunted Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Friday · 1 hr 1 min
The training camp storylines worth buying into
August comes with salt air, the rust on your door, and a whole bunch of hollow training camp storylines. But how many of those storylines are actually worth believing? Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman dig into the running back market, the Vikings QB competition, Aaron Donald, and more of the trendy storylines coming out of training camp. Accompanied reading: Alec Lewis on Vikings run game, https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7494772/2026/08/06/minnesota-vikings-run-game-training-camp/ 0:00 Welcome to the show 0:53 Jahmyr Gibbs contract and disclaimer 2:48 Bijan Robinson/Jonathan Taylor contracts 8:46 Aaron Donald & Los Angeles Rams official workout 14:32 Jakobi Lane & Baltimore Ravens 18:33 Tylan Wallace nostalgia 19:26 JJ McCarthy vs Kyler Murray 23:56 Frank Smith & Minnesota Vikings run game 27:59 Bud Clark & Seattle Seahawks 32:38 Philadelphia Eagles receivers 35:53 KC Concepcion/Denzel Boston & Cleveland Browns 37:33 Browns trade for Spencer Rattler? 43:00 New Orleans Saints optimism 44:20 Darnell Wright & Chicago Bears contract 48:37 MarShawn Lloyd & Green Bay Packers 50:26 Packers offensive line 52:40 Max Iheanachor & Pittsburgh Steelers 56:18 Dexter Lawrence & Cincinnati Bengals Join The Athletic Football Show Discord Server: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshow Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman Executive Producer: Michael Beller Senior Producer: Katy Duffy Social Producer: Scott Krinch Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_ Theme song: Haunted Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Thursday · 1 hr 14 min
The stories teams are willing themselves to believe
Long before Ted Lasso was a smash hit TV show, professional sports teams had been willing themselves to "BELIEVE." Sometimes, that works out wonderfully, as in the case of the Bears believing that Ben Johnson was just what the doctor ordered for Caleb Williams. Other times, it doesn't quite work out, like when the Giants told themselves they only had a Daniel Jones problem. So, what are the stories that NFL teams must believe about themselves this season? Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman crack open the storybook on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. 0:00 Welcome to the show 5:11 Jaguars 13:20 Giants 25:30 Commanders 25:45 Stefon Diggs news 39:50 Eagles 51:27 Colts 57:16 Bills 1:02:45 Chiefs 1:05:43 Bengals/Cowboys 1:08:30 Broncos 1:10:30 Titans Accompanied reading: Sando's QB tiers, https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/interactive/nfl-quarterback-tiers-insider-rankings-2026/ Join The Athletic Football Show Discord Server: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshow Host: Robert Mays Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman Executive Producer: Michael Beller Senior Producer: Katy Duffy Social Producer: Scott Krinch Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_ Theme song: Haunted Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Wednesday · 59 min
Nine players who can change their teams DNA
Every season, a handful of players on new teams completely change the way their unit plays. Think of what Talanoa Hufanga did for the Broncos defense and what George Pickens did for the Cowboys offense last year. Those players are DNA changers. Dave Helman and Derrik Klassen do their best Crick and Watson and pick out nine potential DNA changers on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. 0:00 Welcome to the show 1:44 Bijan Robinson & Atlanta Falcons 2:12 Zay Flowers & Baltimore Ravens 10:27 Jauan Jennings & Minnesota Vikings 17:09 Riq Woolen & Philadelphia Eagles 22:57 Osa Odighizuwa & San Francisco 49ers 27:50 Sauce Gardner & Indianapolis Colts 32:12 Kenny Moore & Colts 33:16 Dre’Mont Jones & New England Patriots 38:42 Jaylen Waddle & Denver Broncos 43:38 Reggie Gilliam & Patriots 49:36 Carnell Tate & Tennessee Titans 54:03 T’Vondre Sweat & New York Jets Join The Athletic Football Show Discord Server: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshow Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman Executive Producer: Michael Beller Senior Producer: Katy Duffy Social Producer: Scott Krinch Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_ Theme song: Haunted Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Tuesday · 1 hr 10 min
Half-baked takes for the 2026 season
Here’s a simple recipe for baking a take: 1. Have a thought or feeling. 2. Look up facts, stats, etc to support or disprove that thought or feeling. 3. Ponder the scope of the thought or feeling (a day, a season, a decade). 4. Mix in some outside opinions. 5. Enjoy your take. For this episode, we’re stopping about halfway through step two. Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen, and Dave Helman share their half-baked takes for the 2026 season. 0:00 Welcome to the show 2:52 Coby Bryant injury 7:10 Baltimore Ravens & Maxx Crosby/Trey Hendrickson 13:56 DaVonta Smith 19:31 San Francisco 49ers & Ricky Pearsall 27:55 Washington Commanders & Jayden Daniels 31:29 Mike McDaniel 34:12 Houston Texans 42:17 Field goals 47:47 Los Angeles Rams 54:10 Natural grass fields 57:46 Picking playoff teams 1:03:17 New Orleans Saints 1:06:21 Dak Prescott Join The Athletic Football Show Discord Server: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshow Host: Robert Mays Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman Executive Producer: Michael Beller Senior Producer: Katy Duffy Social Producer: Scott Krinch Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_ Theme song: Haunted Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
August 1 · 1 hr 38 min
We're going camping! Panthers, Rams, Chargers and Cowboys
Robert Mays kicked off his annual training camp tour last week, and as always, he'll be speaking with every Athletic beat writer he crosses paths with to get the on-the-ground expertise from people who are with these teams every day. In the first installment of this year's Beat Writer Notebook, Robert speaks with Joe Person on the Panthers, Nate Atkins on the Rams, Daniel Popper on the Chargers on Jon Machota on the Cowboys. Rundown (timestamps are approximate) 3:30 Panthers 32:03 Rams 58:59 Chargers 1:23:00 Cowboys Host: Robert Mays With: Joe Person, Nate Atkins, Daniel Popper and Jon Machota Executive Producer: Michael Beller Senior Producer: Katy Duffy Social Producer: Scott Krinch Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_ Theme song: Haunted Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 30 · 59 min
2026 versions of 2025 things
Past may not be prologue, but it can give us an idea of what to look for when considering what might come next. For example, Byron Murphy's ascent was critical to the Seahawks' defense turning into a dominant unit. Could another player follow a similar script this year? It's in that spirit that Dave Helman and Derrik Klassen hunt for 2026 versions of 2025 things on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. Join The Athletic Football Show Discord Server: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshow Host: Robert Mays Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman Executive Producer: Michael Beller Senior Producer: Katy Duffy Social Producer: Scott Krinch Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_ Theme song: Haunted Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 29 · 1 hr 5 min
The second-year players that are X-factors in 2026
We know it's not very humble to say, "I told you so." But...we told you so! At this time last year, we highlighted Cole Bishop and Kris Jenkins—among others—as potential X-factors. And for better or worse, both Bishop and Jenkins were X-factors during the 2025 season. So, we're running it back. Robert Mays, Dave Helman, and Derrik Klassen bring you 15 more players that are X-factors for their teams in 2026. 0:00 Welcome to the show 2:21 Vita Vea & Jalen Carter news 15:00 Jared Wilson 18:30 Will Campbell 21:21 Barrett Carter & Demetrius Knight 28:52 Anthony Belton 34:54 Terrance Ferguson 40:35 Matthew Golden 47:11 Travis Hunter 51:25 Tyleik Williams 55:05 Tate Ratledge 59:45 TJ Sanders 1:00:12 Pat Bryant 1:00:38 Lathan Ransom 1:02:50 Donovan Ezeiruaku 1:03:32 Several 49ers Join The Athletic Football Show Discord Server: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshow Host: Robert Mays Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman Executive Producer: Michael Beller Senior Producer: Katy Duffy Social Producer: Scott Krinch Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_ Theme song: Haunted Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 28 · 1 hr 6 min
Who has the most at stake in 2026?
Every single person in the NFL—players, head coaches, coordinators, position coaches, executives, you name it—has something at stake every season. But some people have more at stake in one individual season than most everyone else. So who has the most at stake in 2026? Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman answer that question on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. 0:00 Welcome to the show 2:27 Zac Taylor 10:40 Todd Bowles 14:59 Baker Mayfield 21:48 Kyler Murray 28:46 Kevin O'Connell 34:53 Monti Ossenfort 44:23 Brian Daboll 49:13 Chris Ballard 54:00 Quentin Johnston 58:26 George Pickens 1:00:39 Jermaine Johnson 1:01:21 Tariq Woolen 1:03:05 Pick your Ram 1:03:22 2024 receivers Join The Athletic Football Show Discord Server: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshow Host: Robert Mays Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman Executive Producer: Michael Beller Senior Producer: Katy Duffy Social Producer: Scott Krinch Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_ Theme song: Haunted Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 27 · 54 min
Our biggest questions heading into training camp
*GENERIC TRUMPET BLASTS SOUNDING A CALL TO ARMS* That's right, training camp is here and the 2026 NFL season is basically underway. We have plenty of questions around the league as all 32 teams open camp across the next few days, so many that we can't possibly get into all of them. This episode of The Athletic Football Show is reserved for our biggest questions as training camp begins. Robert Mays and Dave Helman find themsleves wondering about topics such as the Texans offensive line, the Raiders' development plan for Fernando Mendoza, the new-look Bills defense, and plenty more. 0:00 Welcome to the show 2:12 Patrick Mahomes 3:55 Chiefs offense 5:53 Jaguars skill positions 9:45 Seahawks running backs 14:45 Ravens offense & Bills defense 21:27 Vikings QB competition 24:26 Vikings run game 26:24 Falcons QBs 30:44 Fernando Mendoza sitting 40:14Year 2 of Cam Ward 42:25 Eagles & Commanders offenses 42:56 Texans offensive line 46:22 Nic Scourton injury 47:47 Eagles receiving core 49:50 Mike McDaniel transformation 51:43 Late camp signings Join The Athletic Football Show Discord Server: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshow Host: Robert Mays Co-Host: Dave Helman Executive Producer: Michael Beller Senior Producer: Katy Duffy Social Producer: Scott Krinch Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_ Theme song: Haunted Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 24 · 59 min
How Klayton Adams helped build one of the NFL's most exciting offenses
The 2025 Cowboys offense ranked fifth in EPA/play and eighth in DVOA. The man at the head of that was first-year offensive coordinator Klayton Adams, who arrived in Dallas after a two-year run as the Cardinals offensive line coach. The Cardinals were a top-10 rushing offense by EPA/rush and DVOA in both of Adams' seasons there. In other words, he certainly appears to have a strong grip on how to put together a successful, multi-faceted offense in today's NFL. He dove into his process, and a whole lot more, with Robert Mays on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. Join The Athletic Football Show Discord Server: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshow Host: Robert Mays Executive Producer: Michael Beller Senior Producer: Katy Duffy Social Producer: Scott Krinch Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays Theme song: Haunted Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 23 · 1 hr 21 min
The ideal way to build a WR room in 2026
We have long understood wide receiver as a premium position in the NFL, but the natural evolution of offenses and schemes has influenced everything—including the way you want to build out and balance your wide receiver corps. So what's the ideal way to put the pieces together in today's NFL? Matt Harmon from Yahoo Sports joins Robert Mays to fit it all into place on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. 0:00 Welcome to the show 4:09 What should your receiver group look like? 9:43 First piece of a receiver room 13:53 Building around a WR1 25:51 Impact on offense as a whole 32:31 What to surround a WR1 with 43:12 Impact of heavy personnel 48:35 Ideal skill sets for receivers in heavy personnel 56:09 Underrated skill sets for receivers 59:45 How to project a WR success in NFL 1:03:07 Changing landscape of slot receivers 1:07:43 Examples of properly-built receiver groups 1:11:42 Deploying pure speed Join The Athletic Football Show Discord Server: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshow Host: Robert Mays Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman Executive Producer: Michael Beller Senior Producer: Katy Duffy Social Producer: Scott Krinch Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_ Theme song: Haunted Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 22 · 57 min
The 2026 Scheme Change All-Stars
Sometimes all a player needs to break through is a new coach or a change of scenery. A new scheme can unlock something can unlock something in any number of players, and those guys can go on to dramatically affect the landscape of the league. Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman highlight potential Scheme Change All-Stars on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. 0:00 Welcome to the show 0:29 Live show announcement 5:19 Ashton Jeanty & Las Vegas Raiders 10:07 Jack Bech & Raiders 15:59 Mike Evans & San Francisco 49ers 23:44 Jalen Thompson & Dallas Cowboys 31:23 Marvin Harrison Jr & Arizona Cardinals 36:57 Chris Rodriguez & Jacksonville Jaguars 43:57 Jalen Ramsey & Pittsburgh Steelers 49:04 Logan Hall & Houston Texans 54:09 A'Shawn Robinson & Tampa Bay Buccaneers Join The Athletic Football Show Discord Server: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshow Host: Robert Mays Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman Executive Producer: Michael Beller Senior Producer: Katy Duffy Social Producer: Scott Krinch Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_ Theme song: Haunted Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 21 · 1 hr 11 min
Which team has the healthiest roster construction in 2026?
Do you remember the chart your teacher used in health class to show that 50% of your food should be fruits and vegetables? Maybe you also remember that little tiny sliver showing fatty or sugary foods. Well, think of Jaxon Smith-Njigba's four-year, $168.6 million contract as a bowl of ice cream and Bo Nix's four-year, $18.6 million rookie contract as a plate of broccoli. The ice cream tastes great, but you'd feel pretty sluggish if you didn't have a whole bunch of broccoli to go with it. On this episode of The Athletic Football Show, Dave Helman and Derrik Klassen discuss which NFL teams are best balancing indulgent superstar extensions with vitamin-packed rookie contracts. 0:00 Welcome to the show 5:05 Los Angeles Rams 10:51 Philadelphia Eagles 15:55 New England Patriots 21:15 Chicago Bears 26:55 Seattle Seahawks 31:25 Detroit Lions 35:22 Los Angeles Chargers 38:52 Cleveland Browns 42:10 Houston Texans 43:39 Green Bay Packers 47:20 Dallas Cowboys 48:35 Jacksonville Jaguars 50:37 Denver Broncos 55:16 Carolina Panthers 58:44 Tennessee Titans 1:03:18 Buffalo Bills 1:07:11 Washington Commanders Join The Athletic Football Show Discord Server: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshow Host: Robert Mays Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman Executive Producer: Michael Beller Senior Producer: Katy Duffy Social Producer: Scott Krinch Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_ Theme song: Haunted Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 20 · 59 min
Aaron Donald's return could happen, but SHOULD it?
Dear TAFS friends, we have reached the end of the line for the summer mailbag this year. You guys brought it week after week, and you certainly sent us off with a bang. Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman answer questions on the influence of the Doug Pederson Eagles, the best way to be a bad team, the potential return of Aaron Donald, and a whole lot more on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. 0:00 Welcome to the show 2:45 Eagles/Doug Pederson influence 12:46 Titans new offense 23:05 Ideal way to be a bad team 33:00 Evaluating cornerbacks 39:47 Aaron Donald return 48:24 Third-place game? Join The Athletic Football Show Discord Server: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshow Host: Robert Mays Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman Executive Producer: Michael Beller Senior Producer: Katy Duffy Social Producer: Scott Krinch Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_ Theme song: Haunted Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 17 · 1 hr 4 min
The storylines we didn't talk enough about this offseason
Believe it or not, we're just about at the end of the true NFL offseason. The two teams that play in the Hall of Fame Game—the Panthers and Cardinals—open training camp next week. We at The Athletic Football Show think we do a comprehensive job covering every team during this stretch on the calendar, but we have to admit that a few teams become a bit fainter on our radar. So why didn't we talk much about teams like the Falcons, Vikings, Bills and Eagles? Why did the Broncos, Patriots, Panthers and Ravens spend most of these last two months out of the TAFS studio? And, what should we have been talking about related to those eight teams during the offseason? Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman finally give those teams some attention on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. 0:00 Welcome to the show 3:26 Falcons 10:36 Panthers 20:32 Vikings 28:47 Bills 36:08 Ravens 43:40 Eagles 50:10 Broncos 55:36 Patriots Host: Robert Mays Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman Executive Producer: Michael Beller Senior Producer: Katy Duffy Social Producer: Scott Krinch Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_ Theme song: Haunted Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 16 · 1 hr 31 min
The breakout players we're counting on for the 2026 season
Breakout seasons from Azeez Al-Shaair, Byron Young and Tuli Tuipulotu helped define the 2025 season. Who might be those players this year? Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman introduce the Breakout Player Draft on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. 0:00 Welcome to the show 2:14 The rules 6:30 Paris Johnson 12:04 Omarion Hampton 15:40 Walter Nolen 19:34 Luther Burden 25:12 Amarius Mims 27:43 Nohl Williams 32:25 Malaki Starks 35:12 Yaya Diaby 37:19 Josh Simmons 40:09 Dallas Turner 44:02 Jonas Sanker 45:49 Craig Woodson 48:58 Warren McClendon 53:05 Nic Scourton 56:18 Dylan Fairchild 59:10 Patrick Paul 1:02:31 Tykee Smith 1:03:57 Ricky Pearsall 1:09:23 Rome Odunze 1:13:06 Cedric Gray 1:18:40 Austin Booker 1:20:55 Upton Stout 1:21:54 Billy Bowman 1:24:05 Jalen Travis Host: Robert Mays Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman Executive Producer: Michael Beller Senior Producer: Katy Duffy Social Producer: Scott Krinch Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_ Theme song: Haunted Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 15 · 1 hr 9 min
Nine lessons we learned from the NFL's best defenses
Last season marked the third-straight year in which a team driven by its defense won the Super Bowl. What can the success of last year's Seahawks—not to mention the Texans, Eagles, Vikings and Broncos—teach us about the NFL in 2026? Cody Alexander from Match Quarters joins Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen to share the lessons learned from last season's best defenses on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. 0:00 Welcome to the show 2:43 Run defense 4:00 Run defense on first down 19:44 Edge-linebacker hybrid 28:17 Base defense 30:00 Nickel defense 38:38 Zone coverage 45:35 Weaponizing dime 50:34 Blitz efficiency 58:52 Split-field coverages Host: Robert Mays Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen Executive Producer: Michael Beller Senior Producer: Katy Duffy Social Producer: Scott Krinch Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays Theme song: Haunted Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 13 · 1 hr 5 min
Which outlier stats are most likely to remain outliers?
We're approaching the end of mailbag season but we aren't quite there yet, so Dave Helman and Derrik Klassen opened up the mail and found eight great questions in there. The guys tackle questions on linebacker tiers, outlier statistics, the Lions' 2023 draft, and a whole lot more on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. 0:00 Welcome to the show 1:35 Linebacker tiers 18:47 Outlier stats for QBs 26:36 Favorite odd records 31:50 Teams that disappeared when stakes were high 43:30 Saving past RBs 49:22 Reversing Matthew Stafford’s career 57:05 Lions 2023 Draft: Witherspoon or Gibbs? Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman Executive Producer: Michael Beller Senior Producer: Katy Duffy Social Producer: Scott Krinch Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_ Theme song: Haunted Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.