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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
Buffalo Bills
Seattle Seahawks
Baltimore Ravens
Cleveland Browns
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
Minnesota Vikings
Los Angeles Rams
Kansas City Chiefs
New England Patriots
New York Giants
Chicago Bears
Dallas Cowboys
Cincinnati Bengals
Fernando Mendoza
Tennessee Titans
Green Bay Packers
Houston Texans

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

PublishesDailyEpisodes1444Founded6 years ago
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FootballSports

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

Latest Episodes

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 down the 49ers' 27-7 drubbing of the Rams on this episode of The Athlet... more

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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 Week 1, it's all vibes. Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman offi... more

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 quarterback gets injured five plays into the season. But a great defense can d... more

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 and June doldrums. As the weather heated up, Robert Mays went out on th... more

Key Facts

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Recent Guests

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
James Boyd
Colts writer for The Athletic
The Athletic
Episode: We're going camping! Bengals, Colts, Lions and Vikings
Colton Pouncy
Lions writer for The Athletic
The Athletic
Episode: We're going camping! Bengals, Colts, Lions and Vikings
Alec Lewis
Vikings 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 7.6k 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
    3 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.

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.

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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 1444 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. Jesse Newell
2. Kevin Fishbain
3. Ryan Paganetti
4. James Boyd
5. Colton Pouncy
6. Alec Lewis
7. Zach Berman
8. Mike DeFabo

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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