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 timeslot. You're there for a reason, you know? But is this the year the AFC South gets the last laugh? Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen dive deep into all four teams on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Rundown (timestamps are approximate)4:00 Houston Texans preview34:46 Indianapolis Colts preview1:01:53 Jacksonville Jaguars preview1:33:34

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 this episode, Robert Mays talks with Alec Lewis, Chad Graff and Nick Kosmider, The Athletic's Vikings, Patriots and Broncos beat writers, respectively, as well as national NFL reporter Jourdan Rodrigue, who remains very plugged in with the Rams.Rundown (timestamps are approximate)3:47 Robert Mays and Chad Graff from Vikings camp37:56 Robert Mays and

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 be crazy for that streak to end this year, even in what feels like a loaded NFC. How do the Buccaneers continue their dominance over the division? How do the Falcons flip the script and get to the top? How optimistic should we be about the Panthers? How do we even measure success for the Saints? Robert, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman dive deep into all

The NFL preseason is winding down, which means cutdown day is just around the corner. The Bills have several difficult decisions to make all while trying to get cap compliant for 2025, which could lead to a surprise or two. The Athletic's Joe Buscaglia goes over all of the up-in-the-air decisions the Bills may have, and how it could play out on August 26. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 says at the top of our AFC East preview, there's something for everyone in this division. Can the Bills finally break through this season? Is this the end of the line for this era of the Dolphins? Are the Jets and Patriots really righting their respective ships? Robert, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman dive deep into all four teams in the AFC East on this

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 reload and avoid a Super Bowl Hangover? How do the Commanders build on a breakout 2024 season? How might the Cowboys rebound this season? Is the Giants defensive front enough to make them fun all season? The guys answer all those questions, and a whole lot more, on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Host: Robert MaysCo-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and

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 coaches he spoke to about the trends they see starting to take root across the league. That's great information for Robert to have, and it's also fun information to share with our audience. From three-high-safety looks on defense to more under center straight dropbacks on offense, Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen dig into the trends coaches in the league are

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, giving you a week-by-week look at how The Beast comes together. In this debut episode, Dane explains the process of building his initial top 50, and then he and Dave go through the top draft prospects and five key positions. They wrap things up with prospects to watch in Week 0 and Week 1 of the college football season.Hosts: Dave Helman and Dane

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, Tashan Reed and Matt Barrows, The Athletic's Bears, Raiders and 49ers beat writers, respectively. Can Ben Johnson be exactly what Caleb Williams needs? Is Pete Carroll the man to get the Raiders on track? Are the 49ers as ready for a rebound season as they appear to be? Learn the answers to those questions, and a whole lot more, on this episode of

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 Dehner Jr., James Boyd and Matt Schneidman, The Athletic's Bengals, Colts and Packers beat writers, respectively. Can the Bengals defense simply be good enough? What should we make of the Colts quarterback situation? Is this the season this version of the Packers takes off? Learn the answers to those questions, and a whole lot more, on this episode of

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 Week 1 of the preseason? Robert Mays, Dave Helman and Derrik Klassen dig into the QBs, the key offensive linemen, Travis Hunter, the rookies on the 49ers defense and more on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Host: Robert MaysCo-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave HelmanExecutive Producer: Michael BellerProducer: Michael BellerSubscribe to The

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 Bowl. As much upheaval as there is in the NFL every year, we all know that there's an inner circle of Super Bowl contenders to start the season. They are the teams with A Seat at the Table. The composition of the table will change as the season goes on, and we'll be there for every twist and turn. But for now, as the beginning of the season draws

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 units that defined 2024. Which units can pull off the same feat and come from out of nowhere to carry their teams this season. Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen point to eight candidates—four offenses and four defenses—on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Rundown (timestamps are approximate)4:52 Cowboys offense13:33 Titans offense24:43 Raiders

The Bills are through their first preseason game, but the biggest topic of conversation that has persisted over the last week has been about RB James Cook's hold-in. The Athletic's Joe Buscaglia presents the entire case, timeline, why it's such a delicate situation from both sides and where things stand at this point in time. Plus, Joe provides some quick preseason analysis of what stood out from the first game. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 three teams to the playoffs. It was two last season, with the AFC West and NFC North pulling off the trick. So we can say with relative certainty that at least one division will have three playoff teams this season. Which division is going to keep the streak alive? Dave Helman and Derrik Klassen rank them from least to most likely on this episode of The

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 Nicki Jhabvala, The Athletic's Panthers, Browns and Commanders beat writers, respectively. How legitimate is the optimism for the Panthers offense? How do the Browns even measure success this season? What can the Commanders do to follow up on last season's unexpected breakthrough? Learn the answers to those questions, and a whole lot more, on this

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 practices). In this edition of the Beat Writer Notebook, Robert talks with Joe Buscaglia, The Athletic's Bills beat writer, and Mike DeFabo, The Athletic's Steelers beat writer. How do the Bills finally get over the hump? Can Aaron Rodgers find enough of the fountain of youth to push the Steelers to another level?Learn the answers to those questions, and

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 of them matter. Many of them don't. Dave Helman and Derrik Klassen wade through them and separate what actually has meaning from what doesn't on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Rundown (timestamps are approximate)6:09 Matthew Stafford's back injury13:27 Ben Johnson's aggressive approach to training camp24:07 The Saints QB battle32:20 Depth

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, it's due to the massive changes around them. For still others, it's about their legacy. Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen discuss eight quarterbacks at a crossroads this season on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Rundown (timestamps are approximate)5:11 Kyler Murray21:22 Jared Goff34:26 Trevor Lawrence46:47 C.J. Stroud and Jordan Love55:56

Some takes are meticulously crafted, with each ingredient perfectly balanced to create a rational, thought-out, deeply held belief. Others are slapped together, thrown in the oven for, you know, whatever length of time feels right, and dropped down on the table to consume at your own risk. These are the latter. Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman offer up their half-baked takes for the 2025 season on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Rundown7:00 Micah Parsons isn't getting traded