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Artwork for The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL

The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL

The Athletic
NFL
NFL Draft
Seattle Seahawks
Buffalo Bills
Baltimore Ravens
New England Patriots
Pittsburgh Steelers
Philadelphia Eagles
Los Angeles Rams
Minnesota Vikings
Green Bay Packers
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
Cincinnati Bengals
Los Angeles Chargers
Dallas Cowboys
Cleveland Browns
Chicago Bears
Super Bowl
Fernando Mendoza

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 N... more

PublishesDailyEpisodes1462Founded6 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
FootballSports

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Artwork for The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL

Latest Episodes

Accompanied reading: Sando's 2026 quarterback tiers www.nytimes.com/athletic/interactive/nfl-quarterback-tiers-insider-rankings-2026/

Trevor Lawrence was the most baleyhooed quarterback coming out of college since Andrew Luck, seemingly a tr... more

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 Browns improving to 2-1 with a 21-18 win over the Panthers? Hell yeah! T... more

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 Eagles. Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen break down the game on this epis... more

YouTube

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 were eight-point differences, but still), five of which were decided by... more

Key Facts

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Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

Nick Kosmider
Broncos writer for The Athletic
The Athletic
Episode: We're going camping! Broncos, Chiefs, Packers and Bears
Jesse Newell
Chiefs writer for The Athletic
The Athletic
Episode: We're going camping! Broncos, Chiefs, Packers and Bears
Kevin Fishbain
Bears writer for The Athletic
The Athletic
Episode: We're going camping! Broncos, Chiefs, Packers and Bears
Ryan Paganetti
Analyst with NFL coaching/analytics background, former Raiders/ Eagles/Jaguars staff
Former NFL coaching staff, analytics consultant
Episode: What analytical trends and rule changes tell us about the 2026 season
Paul Dehner Jr.
Bengals writer for The Athletic
The Athletic
Episode: We're going camping! Bengals, Colts, Lions and Vikings
James Boyd
Colts writer for The Athletic
The Athletic
Episode: We're going camping! Bengals, Colts, Lions and Vikings
Zach Berman
Eagles writer, The Athletic
The Athletic
Episode: We're going camping! Eagles, Steelers, Bills and Browns
Mike DeFabo
Steelers writer, The Athletic
The Athletic
Episode: We're going camping! Eagles, Steelers, Bills and Browns
Zac Jackson
Browns writer, The Athletic
The Athletic
Episode: We're going camping! Eagles, Steelers, Bills and Browns

Hosts

Robert Mays
Host of The Athletic Football Show; veteran NFL analyst
Derrik Klassen
Co-host; NFL analyst focusing on schemes and roster construction
Dave Helman
Co-host; NFL analyst with emphasis on play design and game contexts

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 7.7k ratings
  • Unfortunately it follows the rule that everything good on the internet gets ruined. The ads are insane - more numerous and longer than literally any of the 2 dozen podcasts I listen to. If the quality of the podcast was worth it, I'd suck it up, but since Nate left the show feels mid. Robert half feels like he's mailing it in these days, Derek is nowhere near Nate's level as an analyst and is too hot-takey, and I nothing Dave. He's ok, but nobody I'd target listening to.

    Podcast Addict
    2
    Sno
    4 months ago
  • Destroying their bodies for entertainment

    It’s abundantly clear the damage this sport does to the people who play it, many not even making it to a professional level in order to offset the cost of their needed healthcare after ruining their bodies and brains for your entertainment. There’s no safe way to play tackle football. Ban it now.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Please I’m Begging You
    United States4 months ago
  • Very Disappointed

    An episode about buying or selling contenders off-season, and no mention of the Mike Vrabel situation, which is clearly impacting the Patriots, and you don’t even reference it? I don’t trust your analysis anymore.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    BJTowne81
    United States4 months ago
  • What is this?

    These two dudes are rating offenses based on how enjoyable the offense is to watch. What a waste of time.

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    The wily lizard
    United States4 months ago
  • Derrik pronunciations

    Overall the content is great, and I’ve been an avid listener since the beginning of the show.

    Please teach Derrik Klassen how to pronounce names like DeVonta (AY not UH) Smith, Dont’a (AY not UH) Hightower, Kyle (HYOO not JOO) Juszczyk, among others.

    Nate Tice had his pronunciation issues, but they were acknowledged and corrected in a fun way. Since Derrik joined, the mistakes go unchecked.

    Hearing Robert Mays and Dave Helman pronounce names correctly and then hearing consistent mispronunciat... more

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    BallCoach5
    United States4 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners praise the deep, respectful analysis and breadth of NFL knowledge.
Some guests and name pronunciations have been points of feedback.
Ads and pacing get criticized by a subset of listeners.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Spotify
#21
United States/Sports
Apple Podcasts
#9
United States/Sports/Football
Apple Podcasts
#33
United States/Sports
Apple Podcasts
#4
United Kingdom/Sports/Football
Apple Podcasts
#6
Canada/Sports/Football
Apple Podcasts
#60
Canada/Sports

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Is This Real?
Q: Is this real for Bryce Young being a long-term solution, given the surrounding limitations?
There is cautious optimism: if he can sustain the pace and refine the mechanics in the right system, he could become a viable, multi-year answer, though the ceiling remains tied to the offense's consistency and offensive line health.
Is This Real?
Q: What are your competing thoughts on Bryce Young's two-week surge and the potential long-term viability?
We discuss that his improved ability to find space and process with speed could indicate real growth, but the margin for error is razor-thin, so it hinges on continued development and favorable supporting play.
First impressions of the teams that FLOPPED in Week 1
Q: How do you view the Rams' Week 1 performance in the context of the broader league narrative about 'super teams'?
The Rams looked vulnerable against Seattle and the narrative around them being 'untouchable' was challenged; this episode emphasizes how league dynamics, depth, and adaptability—especially on defense and special teams—play a larger role than hype, and that the season can shift as injuries and roster moves unfold.
Aaron Donald's return could happen, but SHOULD it?
Q: Will Shanahan asks if cornerbacks are the easiest position to evaluate or if GMs are simply on an evaluation heater, given high first-round hit rates and trait-based evaluation.
The hosts argue that while top corners often exhibit standout traits that make evaluation easier at the margins, cornerback remains a high-variance position with a mixed track record for highly drafted players; the ease of identifying elite corners is tempered by long-term variability beyond the top tier.
Aaron Donald's return could happen, but SHOULD it?
Q: Bob McAwesome asks if there are league-wide trends traceable to a single moment or season in fourth-down decisions.
The panel traces a few pivotal moments, notably the Cowboys-Eagles era and the 2019 Ravens, explaining how both teams' aggressive fourth-down decisions helped shift league norms toward more frequent attempts, with the trend accelerating into the 2020s.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
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Professions
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Frequently Asked Questions About This Podcast

What is This Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A substantive NFL-focused show featuring in-depth Xs and Os breakdowns, roster-building discussion, and strategic analysis from a core trio of hosts plus frequent guests. Episodes often explore coaching trees, scheme evolution, and roster construction through roundtables, live event promos, and camp coverage, with a mix of data-driven insights and insider context from reporters covering specific teams. Noteworthy aspects include guest experts, deep dives into run games and defensive design, and a willingness to debate nuanced outcomes in the near-term horizon, making it valuable for teams evaluating sponsorships or for brands seeking access to serious NFL analytics and industry conversations.

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Which podcasts are similar to this podcast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with this podcast:

1. Football 301 with Nate Tice
2. The Ringer NFL Show
3. The Bill Barnwell Show
4. The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny
5. NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal

How many episodes of this podcast are there?

this podcast launched 6 years ago and published 1462 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on this podcast?

Recent guests on this podcast include:

1. Nick Kosmider
2. Jesse Newell
3. Kevin Fishbain
4. Ryan Paganetti
5. Paul Dehner Jr.
6. James Boyd
7. Zach Berman
8. Mike DeFabo

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