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...
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Sep 29, 2026 · 53:36
An absolutely jam-packed Week 3 Sunday recap means we're back to our Hangover roots. Vikings over Bucs in a game where neither offense reached a 25% success rate? Hell yeah! The…
Sep 29, 2026 · 33:02
No Caleb Williams, no problem. At least for one week. The Chicago Bears turned to third-string quarterback Case Keenum and he helped deliver them a 27-7 win over the Philadelphia…
Sep 28, 2026 · 1:51:28
We've got 15 more regular season weeks ahead of us, but it wouldn't be a surprise if we just saw what goes down as the best one in Week 3. We had 12 one-score games (two of those…
Sep 25, 2026 · 1:26:16
The Ravens, Cowboys, Rams and Broncos all began this year at our Contender's Table. They're all now 1-1, but we aren't too worried about any of them just yet. And hey, they get…
Sep 25, 2026 · 33:10
Time to add the Packers to the list of teams ready to hit the panic button before we even turn the calendar to October. The Falcons, meanwhile, finally had a nice day at the…
Sep 24, 2026 · 57:15
**Game Show Audience Voice** IS...THIS...REAL?!? That's right, it's time for one of our favorite annual traditions, a round of Is This Real? with Robert Mays and Bill Barnwell…
Sep 23, 2026 · 56:13
Over the weekend, LSU got - as the kids say - cooked by Trinidad Chambliss. The Ole Miss quarterback burst onto the scene last season and it looks like he has no intention of…
Sep 22, 2026 · 1:01:04
The Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts saved an otherwise strange Sunday across the NFL with their overtime thriller on Sunday Night Football. That's where Robert Mays and…
Sep 22, 2026 · 28:39
Week 2 was a stark departure from Week 1 for a number of teams, so it was fitting that the Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants put a bow on the week in the way that they did.…
Sep 21, 2026 · 1:39:22
Need more proof that the NFL is a week-to-week league? Well, after tying the record for most points scored in Week 1 to kick off the season, scoring came all the way back down to…
Sep 18, 2026 · 1:26:52
All it takes is one week of regular season football to get us back in the swing of things. And that means that the traditional weekly previews are back. We've got Bengals-Texans…
Sep 18, 2026 · 29:46
Another week, another huge Josh Allen game. What's new, right? The Buffalo Bills raced out to an early lead on Thursday night behind Allen and never looked back, coasting to a…
Sep 17, 2026 · 1:02:55
Accompanied reading: Sando on special teams https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7578843/2026/09/10/rams-special-teams-sean-mcvay-packers/ Week 1 did not exactly go according to plan…
Sep 16, 2026 · 59:17
Week 2 of the college football season gave us a pair of great quarterback matchups, with Drew Mestemaker and Dante Moore sharing a field in Eugene, and Arch Manning and Julian…
Sep 15, 2026 · 1:18:04
We all know Sundays are jam-packed. They're so busy, in fact, that we can't possibly cover every game from the day in our Sunday night recap show. And that's why The Hangover is…
Sep 15, 2026 · 31:31
The Denver Broncos flipped the script on the Kansas City Chiefs last year, ending the latter's reign atop the AFC West and coming within one win of the Super Bowl. We're not…
Sep 14, 2026 · 1:23:16
With all due respect to the first two games of this season, the NFL is truly back when we get our first full Sunday of action. We just put a bow on that, and we are oh so back.…
Sep 11, 2026 · 31:31
All the offseason narrative goes out the window the moment the actual games start, as the Rams learned the hard way on Thursday. Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman break…
Sep 10, 2026 · 43:43
The 2026 NFL season is just getting underway. We've got plenty of time for in-depth breakdowns and thoughtful analysis on the most intriguing matchups a Sunday has to offer. For…
Sep 10, 2026 · 29:19
Well, that's not exactly how the Seattle Seahawks drew up the start of their Super Bowl title defense. It's not exactly a portent of good things to come when your starting…
Sep 9, 2026 · 1:21:25
Labor Day is behind us. The summer is effectively over. Over these last few months, we parsed every move made in free agency, broke down the NFL Draft, and pushed through the May…
Sep 8, 2026 · 49:07
Week 1 of the college football season is in the books, and we've already got 2027 NFL Draft prospects putting important moments on tape. Dave Helman and Dane Brugler jump into…
Sep 7, 2026 · 1:01:16
Most competitions are about winning. Some, however, are about not losing. This is one of the latter. That's right, it's time for the 2026 TAFS Wins Pool Draft. Come in first or…
Sep 4, 2026 · 1:52:11
We have done it. We've reached the end of the line. The eighth and final divison preview is here, and it is the loaded NFC West. Is it possible for the Rams to have a successful…
Sep 3, 2026 · 1:54:32
The NFC North could very well be the deepest division in football. At the same time, there might not be an inner-circle Super Bowl contender among the four teams in the division.…
Sep 2, 2026 · 1:52:06
Once the butt of jokes across the league, the AFC South produced two teams that won at least 12 games last year, and for a time looked like it could get three teams into the…
Sep 1, 2026 · 1:49:54
The New England Patriots stopped the Buffalo Bills' streak of AFC East titles at six last year, then ran right through the AFC side of the playoff bracket to reach Super Bowl LX…
Aug 31, 2026 · 1:48:17
The NFC South remains the little brother of the league, coming into the season as the only division without an obvious Super Bowl contender. The Buccaneers have held sway over…
Aug 29, 2026 · 1:45:57
And with that, Robert Mays' 2026 training camp tour has reached its end. The final two stops on the tour were Green Bay and Chicago, where he spoke with Packers writer Matt…
Aug 28, 2026 · 1:45:46
Get your tickets for the Sept 1st live show in Chicago! https://lh-st.com/shows/09-01-2026-the-athletic-football-show-with-robert-mays/ We flip over to the NFC for the first time…
Aug 27, 2026 · 1:40:32
Get your tickets to the Sept 1 live show in Chicago! https://lh-st.com/shows/09-01-2026-the-athletic-football-show-with-robert-mays/ The AFC North is up next in our division…
Aug 26, 2026 · 1:48:23
Get your tickets for the Sept 1st live show in Chicago! https://lh-st.com/shows/09-01-2026-the-athletic-football-show-with-robert-mays/ We kick off our annual round of division…
Aug 25, 2026 · 1:10:46
Get your tickets to the live show! https://lh-st.com/shows/09-01-2026-the-athletic-football-show-with-robert-mays/ C.J. Stroud went down to the crossroads, fell down on his…
Aug 24, 2026 · 1:11:12
Get your tickets for our September 1st live show: https://lh-st.com/shows/09-01-2026-the-athletic-football-show-with-robert-mays/ Let's face it: you can only learn so much about…
Aug 22, 2026 · 1:43:49
A full week in the Midwest? Robert Mays must be coming to the end of his training camp tour. This week saw Robert visit Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Detroit and Minneapolis, which…
Aug 21, 2026 · 1:24:38
Get your tickets for our LIVE show at Lincoln Hall: https://lh-st.com/shows/09-01-2026-the-athletic-football-show-with-robert-mays/ King Arthur's Table. Table Mountain. Mesa…
Aug 20, 2026 · 56:33
Accompanied reading: Arch Manning's potential, https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7510943/2026/08/18/arch-manning-nfl-draft-film-study/ The full set of preseason ranking articles,…
Aug 19, 2026 · 1:17:41
We have an astounding 25 new playcallers on either side of the ball in 2026. Mike McDaniel with the Chargers. Jim Leonhard with the Bills. Those two are expected to be among the…
Aug 18, 2026 · 1:19:20
Get your tickets for the live show! https://lh-st.com/shows/09-01-2026-the-athletic-football-show-with-robert-mays/ Sure, we could rank the NFL's best offenses from 1 to 15 and…
Aug 17, 2026 · 1:03:18
Get your tickets for the live show! https://lh-st.com/shows/09-01-2026-the-athletic-football-show-with-robert-mays/ Good news! All of the good stuff you saw from the players you…
Aug 15, 2026 · 1:42:09
Robert Mays slowly but surely made his way back to the Midwest from the mid-Atlantic on his training camp tour this week, kicking things off with the Eagles and wrapping it up…
Aug 14, 2026 · 52:30
Get your tickets for the live show! https://lh-st.com/shows/09-01-2026-the-athletic-football-show-with-robert-mays/ Between starter announcements, preseason game statuses, and…
Aug 13, 2026 · 1:33:53
Get your tickets for the live show! https://lh-st.com/shows/09-01-2026-the-athletic-football-show-with-robert-mays/ Tired: Ranking. Wired: Drafting. On this episode of The…
Aug 12, 2026 · 1:21:33
Get your tickets for the live show! https://lh-st.com/shows/09-01-2026-the-athletic-football-show-with-robert-mays/ Nick Emmanwori. Parker Washington. Darnell Wright. All of…
Aug 10, 2026 · 1:14:55
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…
Aug 8, 2026 · 1:43:47
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…
Aug 7, 2026 · 1:01:03
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…
Aug 6, 2026 · 1:14:05
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…
Aug 5, 2026 · 59:41
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…
Aug 4, 2026 · 1:10:35
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…
Aug 1, 2026 · 1:38:32
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…
Jul 30, 2026 · 59:29
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'…
Jul 29, 2026 · 1:05:46
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…
Jul 28, 2026 · 1:06:59
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…
Jul 27, 2026 · 54:56
*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…
Jul 24, 2026 · 59:05
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…
Jul 23, 2026 · 1:21:53
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…
Jul 22, 2026 · 57:53
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…
Jul 21, 2026 · 1:11:08
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…
Jul 20, 2026 · 59:05
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…
Jul 17, 2026 · 1:04:46
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…
Jul 16, 2026 · 1:31:36
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…
Jul 15, 2026 · 1:09:57
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,…
Jul 13, 2026 · 1:05:50
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…
Jul 10, 2026 · 1:03:14
We've reached the end of our Lingering Questions series for the 2026 offseason, and we close it out with a trio of questions that loom large over the year to come. Robert Mays,…
Jul 9, 2026 · 55:48
Name your favorite unicorn quarterback. Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, you name it. They're all done. Done! The era of a mystical quarterback leading your NFL team…
Jul 8, 2026 · 1:09:26
Sure, you learn something new every day. But today? Today you're learning ELEVEN new things...straight from the NFL's best offenses from the 2025-26 season. What do we know now…
Jul 6, 2026 · 57:11
Thank you, TAFS fans, for once again bringing the goods for another mailbag episode. You all are truly on an all-time run. And speaking of that, what are the best Linsanity-style…
Jul 2, 2026 · 1:00:46
The FTN Football Almanac is as close as we have to religious text in the NFL analytics world. The 2026 version is set to drop shortly, so Robert Mays welcomed the founder of the…
Jul 1, 2026 · 1:10:09
Nine questions answered, six more to go. On this edition of our Lingering Questions series, Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman dig into the following: The Lions are the…
Jun 30, 2026 · 1:13:51
For the first time in three years, Canton Court is back in session. Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman each picked two players and made Hall of Fame cases on their…
Jun 29, 2026 · 1:02:24
You read that right, TAFS listener, we’re talking special teams on today’s episode. Also, running back age vs wear and tear, what we would do as NFL Commissioner for a day, our…
Jun 25, 2026 · 55:03
In the immortal words of John C. McGinley, “What would you say you do here?” We judge general managers and executives on free agency signings, contract negotiations, and draft…
Jun 24, 2026 · 1:14:06
The Giants have spent a ton of resources along the defensive line in recent years, and made a splash this offseason by bringing in head coach John Harbaugh and defensive…
Jun 23, 2026 · 1:08:11
We're firmly in the Remember Some Guys period of the NFL calendar, and what better way to do so than with the Hall of Very Good? You kinda-sorta know a Hall of Very Good player…
Jun 22, 2026 · 59:09
Some topics are evergreen in the NFL. And some are so perfect for mid-June that it would be a crime not to discuss them. That’s where this week’s Mailbag Monday episode takes…
Jun 19, 2026 · 46:01
The various sagas roiling college football typically fall outside our purview here on The Athletic Football Show, but nothing about the Brendan Sorsby saga is typical. Sorsby was…
Jun 18, 2026 · 1:13:47
The success of coaches like Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay has created a group of coaches that, at one time in the recent past, were quite rare...non-playcalling offensive…
Jun 17, 2026 · 1:22:29
The NFL, as always, is in good hands going forward with all the young talent across the league. Just how good? Well, Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman help lay that out…
Jun 15, 2026 · 56:37
This week’s mailbag yielded one of the best hypotheticals we have ever received…and a bunch of other very good questions too. Who are the NFL’s best pass blocking RBs? What are…
Jun 11, 2026 · 50:24
For every Will Anderson Jr. and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, there's a Robert Spillane and Parker Washington. In other words, for every superstar who clearly left his mark on a given…
Jun 10, 2026 · 1:03:43
In the first installment of Lingering Questions this offseason, we cheated by asking the same question about four then-rookie quarterbacks. Now, we're kicking this thing off for…
Jun 9, 2026 · 1:25:34
In the second and final edition of our annual Supporting Casts miniseries, we flip our attention over to the NFC where, frankly, things are a whole lot more loaded. Is it as…
Jun 8, 2026 · 1:00:44
They say if you give an NFL team an inch (drafting Ty Simpson), they'll take a mile (trading the farm for Myles Garrett)...isn't that what they say? Robert Mays and Derrik…
Jun 5, 2026 · 1:20:58
Tight end Charlie Kolar caught 10 passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns last season. In the offseason, he signed a three-year deal with the Chargers that guaranteed him $17…
Jun 4, 2026 · 1:00:46
Our Lingering Questions series is back, and we kick it off this year with a doozy. Four rookie quarterbacks had at least 250 dropbacks last season, and at least three of them…
Jun 3, 2026 · 1:32:24
Last season's Seahawks became the latest team to prove that you don't need an elite quarterback to win the Super Bowl. An elite supporting cast can do just as much heavy lifting…
Jun 1, 2026 · 30:00
The NFL certainly has a way of grabbing the spotlight, doesn't it? Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen break down the stunning trade of Myles Garrett to the Rams on this special live…
Jun 1, 2026 · 46:21
You ever think about where an elite middle linebacker of yesteryear might play in today's NFL? You ever find yourself pondering who the best true utility player in the league…
May 28, 2026 · 1:06:52
As we get closer to June 1 and the true beginning of the summer, the earliest thought embers of what we think about the 2026 season are beginning to glow. However, as those…
May 27, 2026 · 57:02
Let's be honest, a lot of sixth and seventh round NFL Draft picks never come back into our consciousness after draft night...but a few are primed to actually make a difference…
May 25, 2026 · 43:10
Cognitive dissonance in the way we talk about Mike Tomlin and Nick Sirianni? Top-five football heartbreaks? The worst QB the Raiders would've been willing to acquire in exchange…
May 21, 2026 · 1:16:56
Our Buy or Sell Their Offseasons series wraps up, as it always does, with The Contenders. You could fairly quibble with one or two of the teams we have among this octet, but you…
May 19, 2026 · 1:00:42
From genuine interest in the Steelers offense to enduring power of the league's evolutionary instincts, Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen find themselves thinking certain things in…
May 18, 2026 · 56:20
Opening up the mailbag this week felt like opening up Pandora's Box. But, you know, the NFL version of Pandora's Box. In this case, it was filled with questions about Baker…
May 14, 2026 · 1:20:50
OK, this is where the Buy or Sell Their Offseasons series gets really good. We've reached the portion of the proceedings where every team in an episode enters the 2026 season…
May 13, 2026 · 1:00:51
Sure, Dexter Lawrence got traded to the Cincinnati Bengals. Yeah, Kenneth Walker III signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. Okay, Mike Evans left the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the…
May 12, 2026 · 1:08:39
In a league with as much turnover as the NFL, teams are always going to look different from season to season. What's striking, though, is when a team completely remakes a single…
May 11, 2026 · 48:34
It's Mailbag Monday, we're in May, and the questions are only getting goofier. This week, the guys discuss which divisions have the best of each position group, ask themselves…
May 7, 2026 · 1:08:51
Picture this: you're in the warm air of the offseason, you're listening to players talk about how they're in the "best shape of their life," you're watching training camp…
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