The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL
Episodes
Week 13 Sunday Preview: Texans-Colts, Bills-Steelers and a series of Don't-Step-on-the-Rake Games
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
With Thanksgiving Day now behind us, it's time to get to the rest of the Week 13 slate. Believe it or not, the AFC South is still very much up for gra...
Thanksgiving and Black Friday Preview: A Football Feast!
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you've been a football fan for any meaningful amount of time, you know that great games on the Thanksgiving Day slate isn't a guarantee. That's wha...
Building the Beast: NFL Draft prospects to watch in Rivalry Week
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rivalry Week always has, and always will, mean so many things in the college football world. One of the newer elements of Rivalry Week, though, is tha...
Week 12 Hangover: The Seahawks and Patriots escape with road wins, Cam Ward is good, and JSN is a one-of-one player
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Every contender needs to win a game or two on the road when they aren't necessarily at their best. That goes doubly so for surprise contenders like, s...
Week 12 Recap: Cowboys stun Eagles, Rams crush Bucs, Chiefs get much-needed win, Ravens take over first in AFC North, and more
24 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're through two-thirds of the NFL regular season. Thanksgiving Week is here. The beginning of the home stretch has arrived. And yet, do we even have...
Week 12 Preview: Colts-Chiefs is the Game of the Week, but not in the way we expected
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If we told you back in August that Colts-Chiefs would be the Game of the Week in Week 12, you probably would've nodded along. "Sure," you'd say to you...
The Table: Cutting 10 Super Bowl contenders down to eight
20 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ten teams started the season with a seat at The Lombardi Table, a place where only the teams we deem legitimate Super Bowl contenders can sit. Ten tea...
Building the Beast: Team + position matchmaking inside the projected top 10
19 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There are still seven weeks remaining in the NFL regular season, but the likely composition of the top 10 in the draft order is starting to take shape...
Week 11 Hangover: The Bears move into first, the Steelers stay on top, and the Falcons lose another season
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Bears and Steelers are in first place after Week 11? Sure, yup, just how we all drew it up back in August. Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen dig into...
Week 11 Recap: Huge wins for the Eagles, Broncos and Rams, Josh Allen goes off, Niners cruise in Purdy's return
17 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We spent all last week getting pumped about the Week 11 slate. And then it delivered the goods. The Kansas City Chiefs nine-year reign atop the AFC We...
Week 11 Preview: Seahawks-Rams headlines a loaded slate
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There are certain weeks where we don't need to get cute with these descriptions. The Rams and Seahawks play on Sunday in a game that could determine t...
2025 NFL Midseason Awards
13 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Doing your midseason awards at the exact midpoint of the season might be cool, but you know what's even cooler? Doing them 55.6% of the way through th...
Dane Brugler's updated Top 50: Arvell Reese, Ty Simpson top the list
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ah yes, the familiar hallmarks of mid-November. Leaves falling off trees, Thanksgiving preparations being made, and Dane Brugler's updated Top 50. Dan...
Week 10 Hangover: Giants fire Brian Daboll, Ravens and Chargers put Steelers in panic mode
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brian Daboll appeared to be on thin ice dating back to the end of last season. The ice finally broke on Monday, with the Giants making a change at hea...
Week 10 Recap: The Rams and Seahawks are on a collision course
10 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The late window in Week 10 may have been nothing but blowouts, but it did lay bare for us one clear and obvious truth: the Rams and Seahawks are two o...
Week 10 Preview: The top of the NFC takes center stage
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The second half of the NFL season kicks off with a bang, with four games pitting current playoff teams against one another. Two of those games—Eagle...
The players and coaches defining the 2025 NFL season
06 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's a familiar refrain in sports media. "You can't tell the story of SPORTS TOPIC without talking about FAMOUS PLAYER/COACH." Well, who are the playe...
Building the Beast: Arvell Reese continues his climb
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After a week away, Dane Brugler is back on this episode of The Athletic Football Show's Building the Beast. He and Dave Helman hand out some game ball...
Trade Deadline Madness! Sauce Gardner to the Colts, Quinnen Williams to the Cowboys, and more
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Thank you, New York Jets, for making the 2025 NFL Trade Deadline one of the most active on record. First, the Jets swung a blockbuster deal with the C...
Week 9 Hangover: The Seahawks make another big statement
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We might not have thought of the Seahawks as Super Bowl contenders before the season began. We definitely do now. They showed us why yet again in thei...
Week 9 Recap: Bills knock off Chiefs, big wins for the Steelers and Vikings, and the Packers lost to who?!?
03 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Now that's more like it. After a blowout-filled Week 8, the NFL got back to its down-to-the-wire ways in Week 9. Of course, Bills over Chiefs goes dow...
Week 9 Preview: It's Bills-Chiefs Week
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We've talked a lot in recent weeks about how every NFL season is going to throw us its fair share of curveballs. There are constants, however, and one...
Who's winning—and losing—the trenches this NFL season?
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Even a casual NFL fan can tell which quarterbacks, running backs and receivers are among the best in the league. It takes a more discerning eye to wat...
Building the Beast: All-Rookie Team for the first half of the NFL season
29 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're just about halfway through the NFL season, which means that we know a thing or two—maybe not more, but definitely a thing or two—about this ...
Week 8 Hangover: Ravens and Texans grind out critical wins; Bucs take firm control of the NFC South
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's safe to say that the first half of the 2025 season hasn't gone exactly as the Ravens or Texans drew it up. Yet after big wins for both teams in W...
Week 8 Recap: Broncos, Eagles, Dolphins get biggest wins of sleepy day
27 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does a football show have to do to get an exciting Sunday around here? Despite the slate of blowouts and correct predictions, some wins were more...
Week 8 preview: Can the Cowboys or Broncos prove they're the real deal?
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cowboys-Broncos? Packers-Steelers? Browns-Patriots and Giants-Eagles and Panthers-Bills? Sure, those games might not have jumped out at us back in Aug...
The kickers strike back
23 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sixty-yard field goals! Landing zones! The K ball! The kicking game seemingly has never played a bigger role in the NFL than it is this season. The At...
Building the Beast: The 2026 WR draft class is taking shape
22 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As we get to the final Saturday in October, certain elements of what will be come the 2026 NFL Draft picture are at least approaching a degree of focu...
Week 7 Hangover: Celebrating the 49ers defense, the Chiefs offense, and Drake Maye's rise
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The 49ers mash unit defense showed up in a big way against the Falcons. The Chiefs got Rashee Rice back in Week 7, and had one of their best offensive...
Week 7 recap: The Colts and Rams lead the way with big wins in impressive fashion
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When we previewed Week 7, we made Colts/Chargers and Rams/Jaguars audition for a Game of the Week spot. Neither of those lived up to the billing, than...
Week 7 preview: Buccaneers-Lions, a Game of the Week faceoff, a deep dive on the Falcons defense, and more
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Every mini-era of the NFL gives us a handful of short-term rivalries that are the result of teams from different divisions running into one another fo...
Team tiers from Super Bowl or Bust to Mock Draft Enthusiasts
16 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're one-third of the way through the NFL regular season, and we know a thing or two about each of the league's 32 teams. We know enough, in fact, to...
Building the Beast: The NFL Draft prospects to know from Indiana, Texas A&M, and this season's CFB surprise teams
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Indiana is the #3 team in the country. Yes, in football. And they aren't the only big surprise this season. Texas A&M, Missouri and Cincinnati all...
Week 6 Hangover: Brian Callahan fired, Packers and Rams post unimpressive wins, and sad voicemails from Eagles and 49ers fans
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The AFC North feels like one big, collective hangover this season, so it's no surprise that both games in the Week 6 Hangover feature teams from the d...
Week 6 recap: Statement wins for the Chiefs, Buccaneers and Seahawks
13 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Remember that wild time three weeks ago when there were some simmering concerns about the Chiefs? Safe to say those have been put to bed after their c...
Week 6 preview: Lions-Chiefs and 49ers-Buccaneers at the top of a loaded slate
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The last time the Lions played the Chiefs, they made clear that they had arrived as contenders. Two years later, they just might be the best team in t...
The rise of Puka Nacua, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, with Matt Harmon
09 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Take a look at any wide receiver stat leaderboard for 2025, and you're going to see Puka Nacua, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jaxon Smith-Njigba at the top. F...
Building the Beast: Dane Brugler's midseason top-three at every position
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're just about halfway through the college football regular season, and boards for the 2026 NFL Draft look different than they did in August. How di...
Week 5 Hangover: The Patriots break through, the Lions cruise past the Bengals, and the Saints get their first win
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For the first time since 2014, no NFL team made it to 5-0. The Bills nearly did it, but, instead, Sunday Night Football turned into a coming-out party...
Week 5 recap: The Buccaneers and Seahawks put on a show, the Broncos take down the Eagles, and the Ravens hunt for the panic button
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Buccaneers-Seahawks was one of our Games of the Week in Week 5, and it absolutely delivered the goods. The Bucs may have come out of the game with a 3...
Week 5 preview: Two surprisingly fun matchups take center stage
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We've turned the calendar to October and reached the bye-week portion of the schedule, which means that while it's still relatively early in the seaso...
Early returns on five new offenses across the NFL
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When a team goes out and brings in a new playcaller during the offseason, be it the head coach or offensive coordinator, they're telling us one thing:...
Dante Moore's NFL Draft stock up, Drew Allar's down after Oregon-Penn State tilt
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
College football's loaded weekend delivered with Oregon, Alabama and Mississippi picking up huge wins. Those games, not to mention the rest of the sla...
Week 4 Hangover: The Texans get their first win, the Lions survive the Browns defense, and the Bills stay undefeated
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If ever there were a game that felt like a hangover, it was the Texans 26-0 win over the Titans in Week 4. That's where Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen...
Week 4 recap: Huge wins for Chiefs and Rams + Packers-Cowboys craziness highlight a loaded Sunday
29 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Allow us to take you behind the curtain. This was, by far, the hardest recap show for us to program thus far this season. That's how much happened in ...
Week 4 preview: Eagles-Buccaneers, Colts-Rams, and a Game of the Week that wasn't
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you looked at Week 4 before the season, you likely would've assumed that Ravens-Chiefs would be the Game of the Week, with Eagles-Buccaneeers at th...
Why are these four offenses stuck in the mud?
25 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Texans are 32nd in offensive success rate. The Broncos are 31st. The Raiders are 30th. The Falcons are 20th, but they just got shut out by the Pan...
Building the Beast: Loaded Week 5 slate—hello, Oregon-Penn State and Alabama-Georgia—will move draft boards
24 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is the sort of week that makes college football fanatics and NFL Draft nuts the Predator meme. Saturday is absolutely loaded with games that are ...
Week 3 Hangover: Chiefs win ugly, Vikings and Commanders cruise, Nick Bosa out for the season
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Chiefs are on the board, while the Vikings and Commanders both got easy wins with their backup quarterbacks at the helm. Robert Mays and Derrik Kl...
Week 3 recap: Eagles score the win of the day, lead parade of 3-0 teams
22 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Bills, Eagles and Buccaneers are among the 3-0 teams in the NFL. No real surprises there, right? Well, so are the Chargers. So are the Colts! Oh, ...
Week 3 preview: Rams-Eagles, Lions-Ravens light up the marquee
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Any time the calendar says "September," it's still early in the NFL season. But as we get ready for Week 3, we're starting to know a thing or two abou...
Is This Real?...with Bill Barnwell
18 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Through two weeks of the 2024 season, the Saints looked like a breakout offense while the Broncos ranked in the top five in defensive success rate. On...
Building the Beast: The potential diamonds in the rough are starting to emerge
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're coming off a loaded weekend in the college football world, and the fallout from those games registered in NFL Draft circles. In the latest editi...
The Week 2 Hangover: Joe Burrow's injury, Falcons run over Vikings, and more sad voicemails
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hey, the Bengals finally didn't dig a massive hole in September. Things are going great, right? Right?!? Dave Helman and Derrik Klassen kick off the W...
Week 2 recap: Eagles beat Chiefs...again, Giants-Cowboys fireworks, and how 'bout them...Colts?!?
15 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Super Bowl LIX rematch was always going to be at the center of Week 2, and this one ended with the same winner as that one back in February did. T...
Week 2 preview: Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl rematch tops the slate
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Week 2 marks our first real preview episode of the season, and what a helluva week it is. For starters, we've got a Super Bowl LIX rematch between the...
First impressions of new units and faces after Week 1
11 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
One of the best parts of Week 1 is that we finally get to see a bunch of new stuff in action. Like the Geno Smith/Chip Kelly offense in Las Vegas. Or ...
Building the Beast: John Mateer's big day, top-50 stock watch, Armand Membou's NFL debut, and more
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Week 2 of the college football season may not have had the marquee matchups that Week 1 did, but it still gave Dave Helman and Dane Brugler more than ...
The Week 1 Hangover: Giants-Commanders, Cardinals-Saints, and your sad voicemails
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Our return to five episodes per week means that the Weekly Hangover is back! Because look, Sundays are busy. We can't possibly talk about every game i...
Week 1 recap: Bills and Packers start the season off right
08 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Same Sunday night recap you know and love, brand spankin' new look. Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman celebrate the return of the NFL with t...
Cowboys-Eagles Week 1 TNF recap
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
And with that, the 2025 NFL season is officially underway. Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman recap the Eagles' 24-20 season-opening win over...
What we're excited to watch in Week 1 + A new look for The Athletic Football Show
04 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Football friends, we have made it back to the start of another NFL season. We hope you enjoy the crazy six-month ride with us. To kick off the season,...
2025 NFL season predictions
03 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We've previewed every division. We've pondered every lingering question. We've analyzed every roster from top to bottom and back to the top, again. Th...
Building the Beast: First 2025 impressions of the draft-eligible quarterbacks
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We saw Arch Manning, Garrett Nussmeier and LaNorris Sellers all play in Week 1, to varying results. What are our first 2025 impressions of all of thos...
The TAFS 2025 Wins Pool Draft
01 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The annual Wins Pool Draft is here. Three drafters, seven teams apiece, glory and ignominy at stake. What more could you ask for? In both of the last ...
2025 AFC North preview
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We've done it. We've reached the end of the line. Our eighth and final division preview features what has long been one of the most competitive divisi...
2025 NFC West preview
28 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Every team in the NFC West has a win total over/under of 8.5 or better. The Rams are the favorite, but their quarterback has been hurt all summer. The...
2025 AFC West preview
27 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The AFC West has long been the domain of Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid and the Chiefs, winners of nine straight division titles. The Chargers and Broncos...
2025 NFC North preview
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The NFC North put three teams in the playoffs last year, including the top seed in the conference and two teams with 14 wins. There's a chance the div...
2025 AFC South preview
25 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The AFC South is something of a punchline in the NFL, with its division champion seemingly locked into that Saturday afternoon Wild Card round game ti...
TAFS Goes Camping: Conversations with The Athletic's Vikings, (former) Rams, Patriots and Broncos beat writers
23 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We've made it. Training camp is over. The season is just about here. And we've got one final Beat Writer Notebook for you to close it all down. On thi...
2025 NFC South preview
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's not hard to see why the NFC South is so often overlooked. The division hasn't put two teams into the playoffs since the 2020 season. It wouldn't ...
2025 AFC East preview
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Bills have won the AFC East five years in a row, and it looks like nothing can stop them from making that six this season. Still, as Robert Mays s...
2025 NFC East preview
20 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Division preview season is back, our friends, and we have to start with the division that houses the reigning Super Bowl Champions. Can the Eagles rel...
The trends that NFL coaches see emerging around the league
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After visiting 23 teams in person over the last month, Robert Mays is finally back home. While he was out on the road, he asked the 50 or so NFL coach...
The 2025-26 debut of Building the Beast with Dane Brugler
18 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dane Brugler is back on The Athletic Football Show year-round. Every week through the draft, Dane and Dave Helman will bring you Building the Beast, g...
TAFS Goes Camping: Conversations with The Athletic's Bears, Raiders and 49ers beat writers
17 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Robert Mays is just about off the road, but we've still got a double Beat Writer Notebook weekend for the masses. This episode features Kevin Fishbain...
TAFS Goes Camping: Conversations with The Athletic's Bengals, Colts and Packers beat writers
16 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Training camp is winding down, and so, too, is Robert Mays' Beat Writer Notebook. We've got two more for you this weekend, though, beginning with Paul...
First impressions of the 2025 rookie class
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
First impressions are pretty important in all facets of life. So what sort of first impressions did some of the youngsters across the league make in W...
A Seat at the Table: The teams that can win the Super Bowl
13 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's time for an annual bit on The Athletic Football Show. And what better way to stage a bit on an NFL podcast than against the backdrop of the Super...
Eight potential out-of-nowhere units on offense and defense
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Last year at this time, no one was expecting much from the Commanders offense or the Broncos defense. By the end of the season, they were among the un...
Which division is most likely to put three teams in the playoffs?
11 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The NFL expanded to 14 total playoff teams, seven per conference, in 2020. In each of the five seasons since expansion, at least one division sent thr...
TAFS Goes Camping: Conversations with The Athletic's Panthers, Browns and Commanders beat writers
10 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Look, you visit with eight teams in one week, you gotta have two Beat Writer Notebooks. In this edition, Robert talks with Joe Person, Zac Jackson and...
TAFS Goes Camping: Conversations with The Athletic's Bills and Steelers beat writers
09 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Robert Mays is coming off his busiest week of training camp yet, having spent the previous seven days with eight different teams (gotta love joint pra...
The early training camp storylines that actually matter
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Teams have been at training camp for a couple weeks now, so you know what that means. We've got plenty of storylines floating around out there. Some o...
Quarterbacks at a crossroads in 2025
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There is a subset of quarterbacks for whom the 2025 season is an inflection point. For some of them, it's about their future in the league. For others...
Half-baked takes for the 2025 NFL season
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Some takes are meticulously crafted, with each ingredient perfectly balanced to create a rational, thought-out, deeply held belief. Others are slapped...
We're ready to get hurt again: The teams, players and ideas we just can't quit
04 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We should know better. We really should. We've been at this for a long time, and we know that believing in certain teams and players is bad for us. An...
TAFS Goes Camping: Conversations with The Athletic's Eagles and Jets beat writers
03 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Robert Mays went to so many training camps in the previous week, we had to split this weekend's Beat Writer Notebook into two episodes. On this editio...
TAFS Goes Camping: Conversations with The Athletic's Seahawks, Falcons and Ravens beat writers
02 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Robert Mays began the previous week in Seattle. He ended it in New York, by way of the southeast and mid-Atlantic. So, yeah, he's been around a bit. R...
The team DNA changers for the 2025 season
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Most offseason acquisitions are going to bring some change to their new teams. There's a reason why their new teams went out and got them, after all. ...
Training camp news roundup: Rashawn Slater and Courtland Sutton get new deals, Cowboys and Rams dealing with injuries, clarity for OL in Kansas City and Detroit, and more
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A whole lot has happened during the first week of training camp. A bunch of good players got contract extensions. Injuries are unfortunately already c...
Who has the most at stake in 2025?
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Every NFL season is important to every person in the league. But we know that some players, coaches and executives have more at stake in any given sea...
Lessons learned from the league's best offenses
28 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The best teams in the league can keep their secret sauce secret for only so long. Teams are always hunting for an edge wherever they can find it, and ...
TAFS Goes Camping: Conversations with The Athletic's Lions, Chargers and Cowboys beat writers
26 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Robert Mays' Homeric tour of the NFL world is underway, with stops across the previous week in Detroit, Los Angeles and San Diego. While there, he spo...
Sneaky big second-year player X-factors
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's easy to overlook second-year players who A) didn't have huge rookie seasons, or B) aren't quarterbacks. But you don't have to be Jayden Daniels o...
What can the surprise teams of 2024 do for an encore?
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There's a temptation to believe that surprise teams from the previous season are on a clear upward trajectory. But we know that isn't always true. Jus...
2025 versions of 2024 stories
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Take a moment to think about the unexpected developments that helped define the 2024 NFL season. The Washington Commanders going to the NFC Championsh...
Our biggest questions heading into training camp
21 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you're listening to this episode the day it comes out, the Lions and Chargers are at training camp. If you're listening to it a few days later, eve...