The Bills and Texans both appear ticketed for the playoffs, but neither exactly covered itself in glory in Week 16 wins over the Browns and Raiders, respectively. So, were those performances cause for concern? Or were they simply late-season, "do-what-we-gotta-do" wins that don't really have much, if any, bearing on their playoff prospects? Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen dig in on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.

Rundown (timestamps are approximate)

5:00 Bills-Browns recap

24:55 Raiders-Texans recap

41:07 Monday Mourning: Todd Bowles and the Buccaneers

49:29 Monday Mourning: Is it all over for the Lions

Connect with The Athletic Football Show

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@TAFootballShow

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Call us: 847-448-0701

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Host: Robert Mays

Co-Host: Derrik Klassen

Executive Producer: Michael Beller

Video Producer: Katy Duffy

Audio Producer: Michael Beller

Social Producer: Scott Krinch

Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social

Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social

Follow Robert on X: @robertmays

Follow Derrik on X: @QBKlass

Theme song: Haunted

Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs

Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're just two weeks away from the end of the regular season, and exactly one team that won its division last year is in first place this year. That would be the Philadelphia Eagles, who clinched the NFC East with a win over the Washington Commanders on Saturday. Every other division, however, is looking quite possibly at a new division winner. That includes the Chicago Bears, who took firm control of the NFC North with a win over the Green Bay Packers. It includes the Jacksonville Jaguars, who went into Denver and took down the Broncos. And it includes the Carolina Panthers, who moved into first place in the NFC South with a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Robert Mays, Dave Helman and Derrik Klassen recap a crazy Week 16 on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.

Rundown (timestamps are approximate)

2:28 Ravens-Patariots

15:09 Jags-Broncos

33:33 Packers-Bears

54:06 Buccaneers-Panthers

1:04:57 Chargers-Cowboys

1:12:49 Steelers-Lions

1:20:56 How could you not be romantic about football?

1:37:51 What did we learn in Week 16?

Connect with The Athletic Football Show

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@TAFootballShow

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Call us: 847-448-0701

Email us: athleticfootballshow@gmail.com

Host: Robert Mays

Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman

Executive Producer: Michael Beller

Video Producer: Katy Duffy

Audio Producer: Michael Beller

Social Producer: Scott Krinch

Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social

Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social

Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social

Follow Robert on X: @robertmays

Follow Derrik on X: @QBKlass

Follow Dave on X: @davehelman_

Theme song: Haunted

Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs

Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jaguars-Broncos is the Game of the Week. Patriots-Ravens is another game of the week, and it's the former that is leading its division as the latter fights for its playoff life. The defining characteristic of this NFL season—true contender turnover in largely unseen quantities—steps to the fore in Week 16. Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman give it the full preview treatment on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.

Rundown (timestamps are approximate)

2:18 Game of the Week: Jaguars-Broncos

23:33 Game of the Week: Patriots-Ravens

42:08 One Thing From...Packers-Bears

47:18 One Thing From...Buccaneers-Panthers

57:12 One Thing From...Steelers-Lions

1:00:54 One Thing From...Cowboys-Chargers

1:06:07 Under the Hood: Texans offense

1:15:40 Jaxson Dart vs. Tyler Shough vs. JJ McCarthy...who would you take as your 2026 starter?

1:26:26 Falcons-Cardinals and the saddest Spiderman pointing meme ever

1:30:11 What do you wanna know in Week 16

Connect with The Athletic Football Show

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@TAFootballShow

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TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tafootballshow

Discord: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshow

Call us: 847-448-0701

Email us: athleticfootballshow@gmail.com

Host: Robert Mays

Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman

Executive Producer: Michael Beller

Video Producer: Katy Duffy

Audio Producer: Michael Beller

Social Producer: Scott Krinch

Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social

Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social

Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social

Follow Robert on X: @robertmays

Follow Derrik on X: @QBKlass

Follow Dave on X: @davehelman_

Theme song: Haunted

Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs

Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every NFL season brings us some sort of advance in analytics and schematics, and spending some time every December looking back at this season's developments is one of our favorite things to do before we turn the page to the playoffs. Sam Schwartzstein, Amazon Prime's analytics expert, joins Robert Mays on this episode of The Athletic Football Show to dive deep on this season's analytic and schematic trends, and preview the monster Week 16 TNF game between the Rams and Seahawks.

Connect with The Athletic Football Show

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@TAFootballShow

Podcasts: https://podfollow.com/the-athletic-football-show/view

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TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tafootballshow

Discord: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshow

Call us: 847-448-0701

Email us: athleticfootballshow@gmail.com

Host: Robert Mays

Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman

Executive Producer: Michael Beller

Video Producer: Katy Duffy

Audio Producer: Michael Beller

Social Producer: Scott Krinch

Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social

Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social

Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social

Follow Robert on X: @robertmays

Follow Derrik on X: @QBKlass

Follow Dave on X: @davehelman_

Theme song: Haunted

Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs

Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The College Football Playoffs kick off this week, and while the results on the field will understandably dominate the discussion around the games, it's the performances of the NFL Draft prospects that we care about most here at The Athletic Football Show's Building the Beast. Dane Brugler and Dave Helman dive into the draft-eligible players you need to be watching when you've got the CFP games on this weekend. Before that, the guys discuss the QB movement—or non-movement, as the case may be—for guys like LaNorris Sellers, Arch Manning and Brendan Sorsby.

Connect with The Athletic Football Show

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@TAFootballShow

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Call us: 847-448-0701

Email us: athleticfootballshow@gmail.com

Host: Dave Helman

Co-Host: Dane Brugler

Executive Producer: Michael Beller

Video Producer: Katy Duffy

Audio Producer: Michael Beller

Social Producer: Scott Krinch

Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social

Follow Dave on X: @davehelman_

Follow Dane on X: @dpbrugler

Theme song: Haunted

Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs

Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We all realize that the 49ers have 10 wins and are a near-lock for the playoffs, right? Has a double-digit-win season ever gone more overlooked? And how dangerous might the Niners be, assuming they do get into the playoffs? Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen discuss that on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. The guys also dig into Ravens-Bengals and Vikings-Cowboys from Week 15, and take a couple of sad voicemails from the fans.

Rundown (timestamps are approximate)

3:35 Ravens-Bengals recap

24:57 Vikings-Cowboys recap

47:06 Titans-49ers recap

1:02:57 Voicemail from a sad Cowboys fan

1:09:34 Voicemail from a sad Packers fan

Connect with The Athletic Football Show

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@TAFootballShow

Podcasts: https://podfollow.com/the-athletic-football-show/view

X: https://x.com/TA_FootballShow

IG: https://www.instagram.com/tafootballshow

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tafootballshow

Discord: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshow

Call us: 847-448-0701

Email us: athleticfootballshow@gmail.com

Host: Robert Mays

Co-Host: Derrik Klassen

Executive Producer: Michael Beller

Video Producer: Katy Duffy

Audio Producer: Michael Beller

Social Producer: Scott Krinch

Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social

Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social

Follow Robert on X: @robertmays

Follow Derrik on X: @QBKlass

Theme song: Haunted

Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs

Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the big stories of the 2025 season is the rise of new contenders and the fall of the traditional powers. We saw the former on Sunday, with the Denver Broncos winning their 11th straight game, this time taking down the mighty Green Bay Packers. We saw the latter, as well, with the Kansas City Chiefs being officially eliminated from playoff contention after a 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. And we also saw a team defy that storyline, with the Buffalo Bills clawing back from a 21-point deficit to beat the Patriots and keep the AFC East in play. Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman dig into all those games on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. Plus, some talk about the Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, and Philadelphia Eagles.

Connect with The Athletic Football Show

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@TAFootballShow

Podcasts: https://podfollow.com/the-athletic-football-show/view

X: https://x.com/TA_FootballShow

IG: https://www.instagram.com/tafootballshow

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tafootballshow

Discord: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshow

Call us: 847-448-0701

Email us: athleticfootballshow@gmail.com

Host: Robert Mays

Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman

Executive Producer: Michael Beller

Video Producer: Katy Duffy

Audio Producer: Michael Beller

Social Producer: Scott Krinch

Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social

Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social

Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social

Follow Robert on X: @robertmays

Follow Derrik on X: @QBKlass

Follow Dave on X: @davehelman_

Theme song: Haunted

Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs

Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this particuarly topsy-turvy season, there's perhaps nothing stranger than seeing the Broncos and Patriots on top of the AFC. Both of them in Week 15 have massive opportunities to prove they're not just great regular season stories, but legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman kick off the Week 15 preview episode of The Athletic Football Show by diving deep on Bills-Patriots and Packers-Broncos. They also discuss Lions-Rams, Dolphins-Steelers and Chargers-Chiefs, the return of Philip Rivers, the collapse potential of the Eagles, and the fall of the great quarterback conference.

Rundown (timestamps are approximate)

3:11 Game of the Week: Bills-Patriots

23:04 Game of the Week: Packers-Broncos

47:36 One Thing From...Lions-Rams

50:44 One Thing From...Dolphins-Steelers

55:38 One Thing From...Chargers-Chiefs

1:13:51 Sicko Street: Philip Rivers is back!

1:19:48 Sicko Street: Could it get worse for the Eagles?

1:23:08 What do you wanna know in Week 15?

Connect with The Athletic Football Show

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@TAFootballShow

Podcasts: https://podfollow.com/the-athletic-football-show/view

X: https://x.com/TA_FootballShow

IG: https://www.instagram.com/tafootballshow

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tafootballshow

Discord: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshow

Call us: 847-448-0701

Email us: athleticfootballshow@gmail.com

Host: Robert Mays

Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman

Executive Producer: Michael Beller

Video Producer: Katy Duffy

Audio Producer: Michael Beller

Social Producer: Scott Krinch

Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social

Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social

Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social

Follow Robert on X: @robertmays

Follow Derrik on X: @QBKlass

Follow Dave on X: @davehelman_

Theme song: Haunted

Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs

Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.