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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
Philadelphia Eagles
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers
Kansas City Chiefs
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
Los Angeles Rams
Dallas Cowboys
New York Giants
Tennessee Titans
Denver Broncos
Fernando Mendoza
Houston Texans
Green Bay Packers
Cincinnati Bengals

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

PublishesDailyEpisodes1426Founded6 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
FootballSports

Listen to this Podcast

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

Latest Episodes

Get your tickets for our LIVE show at Lincoln Hall: lh-st.com/shows/09-01-2026-the-athletic-football-show-with-robert-mays/

King Arthur's Table. Table Mountain. Mesa Verde. Teufelstisch. These are just four famous tables known the world over... more

Accompanied reading: Arch Manning's potential, www.nytimes.com/athletic/7510943/2026/08/18/arch-manning-nfl-draft-film-study/

The full set of preseason ranking articles, www.nytimes.com/athletic/author/dane-brugler/

The sun is shini... more

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 most important acquisitions of the offseason, players and head coaches i... more

Get your tickets for the live show! 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 then tell you the rankings of each host. But then we wouldn't hear Rober... more

Key Facts

Contact Information
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

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
Josh Kendall
Falcons beat writer for The Athletic
The Athletic
Episode: We're going camping! Seahawks, Falcons, Commanders and Ravens
Nicki Jhabvala
Commanders beat writer for The Athletic
The Athletic
Episode: We're going camping! Seahawks, Falcons, Commanders and Ravens
Joe Person
Panthers reporter, The Athletic
The Athletic
Episode: We're going camping! Panthers, Rams, Chargers and Cowboys
Nate Atkins
Rams writer, The Athletic
The Athletic
Episode: We're going camping! Panthers, Rams, Chargers and Cowboys
Daniel Popper
Chargers writer, The Athletic
The Athletic
Episode: We're going camping! Panthers, Rams, Chargers and Cowboys
Jon Machota
Cowboys writer, The Athletic
The Athletic
Episode: We're going camping! Panthers, Rams, Chargers and Cowboys
Klayton Adams
Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator
Dallas Cowboys
Episode: How Klayton Adams helped build one of the NFL's most exciting offenses

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 7.6k 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
    2 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 States3 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 States3 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 States3 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 States3 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
#24
United States/Sports
Apple Podcasts
#9
United States/Sports/Football
Apple Podcasts
#27
United States/Sports
Apple Podcasts
#6
Canada/Sports/Football
Apple Podcasts
#6
United Kingdom/Sports/Football
Apple Podcasts
#38
Canada/Sports

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

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.
Why the Houston Texans are a legitimate Super Bowl threat
Q: What did the Almanac say about the Seahawks-Pats Super Bowl forecast accuracy?
The Almanac showed how improbable some preseason projections are, as the Seahawks-Pats forecast was among the least likely, illustrating volatility and the difficulty of predicting long-range outcomes.
Why the Houston Texans are a legitimate Super Bowl threat
Q: Why is defense often more 'sticky' than offense in these projections?
Because defensive performance tends to be more consistent year over year due to structural factors like scheme and personnel stability, whereas offensive outputs are more susceptible to variability from play-calling and line changes.
Why the Houston Texans are a legitimate Super Bowl threat
Q: How do you reconcile CJ Stroud's late-season play with a top AFC prediction for 2026?
Stroud's performance is viewed in the context of an overall team improvement: a better offensive line, the return of Tank Dell, and a more competent running game, which could lift the offense enough to complement the defense.

Audience Metrics

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

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

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 1426 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. Zach Berman
2. Mike DeFabo
3. Josh Kendall
4. Nicki Jhabvala
5. Joe Person
6. Nate Atkins
7. Daniel Popper
8. Jon Machota

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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