The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL

Accompanied reading: Sando on special teams https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7578843/2026/09/10/rams-special-teams-sean-mcvay-packers/Week 1 did not exactly go according to plan for a quartet of teams with big expectations. Those teams? The Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos. Why was that the case for those four teams? And what can they do to turn those Week 1 disappointments into an aberration rather than a pattern? That's wat Robert Mays and The Athletic senior NFL writer Mike Sando discuss on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Join The Athletic Football Show Discord Server: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshowHost: Robert MaysCo-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave HelmanExecutive Producer: Michael BellerSenior Producer: Katy DuffySocial Producer: Scott KrinchFollow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.socialFollow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.socialFollow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.socialFollow Robert on X: @RobertMaysFollow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_Theme song: HauntedWritten by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love SongsCourtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

Week 2 of the college football season gave us a pair of great quarterback matchups, with Drew Mestemaker and Dante Moore sharing a field in Eugene, and Arch Manning and Julian Sayin squaring off in Austin. That's where Dave Helman and Dane Brugler kick off this episode of The Athletic Football Show’s Building the Beast. The guys also discuss a trio of QB risers and fallers, and check in on a receiver Draftniks need to know. Co-Hosts: Dave Helman and Dane BruglerExecutive Producer: Michael BellerSenior Producer: Katy DuffySocial Producer: Scott KrinchFollow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.socialFollow Dane on X: @DPBruglerFollow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_Theme song: HauntedWritten by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love SongsCourtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

We all know Sundays are jam-packed. They're so busy, in fact, that we can't possibly cover every game from the day in our Sunday night recap show. And that's why The Hangover is back once again in 2026. Every Tuesday, we'll dive deep into a handful of games we didn't get to on Sunday, and this year, we'll plan to save at least one meaty game per week for the Hangover. In the Week 1 edition, that game is the Baltimore Ravens' 41-23 win over the Indianapolis Colts. After that, Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen dig into the New York Jets' win over the Tennessee Titans, and the Las Vegas Raiders' handling of the Miami Dolphins on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Join The Athletic Football Show Discord Server: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshowHost: Robert MaysCo-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave HelmanExecutive Producer: Michael BellerSenior Producer: Katy DuffySocial Producer: Scott KrinchFollow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.socialFollow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.socialFollow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.socialFollow Robert on X: @RobertMaysFollow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_Theme song: HauntedWritten by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love SongsCourtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

The Denver Broncos flipped the script on the Kansas City Chiefs last year, ending the latter's reign atop the AFC West and coming within one win of the Super Bowl. We're not going to draw any sweeping conclusions after one game, but if Week 1 is any indication, the Broncos might not want to get used to life atop the division. Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman break down the Chiefs' comfortable 31-10 win over the Broncos on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Join The Athletic Football Show Discord Server: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshowHost: Robert MaysCo-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave HelmanExecutive Producer: Michael BellerSenior Producer: Katy DuffySocial Producer: Scott KrinchFollow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.socialFollow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.socialFollow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.socialFollow Robert on X: @RobertMaysFollow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_Theme song: HauntedWritten by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love SongsCourtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

With all due respect to the first two games of this season, the NFL is truly back when we get our first full Sunday of action. We just put a bow on that, and we are oh so back. Josh Allen immediately commenced doing Josh Allen things. The Chicago Bears scored 59 points. The Arizona Cardinals pulled off a massive upset of the Los Angeles Chargers. The Minnesota Vikings sprung a massive comeback on the Green Bay Packers, and the New Orleans Saints nearly did the same to the Detroit Lions. Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman recap Week 1 on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Host: Robert MaysCo-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave HelmanExecutive Producer: Michael BellerSenior Producer: Katy DuffySocial Producer: Scott KrinchFollow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.socialFollow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.socialFollow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.socialFollow Robert on X: @RobertMaysFollow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_Theme song: HauntedWritten by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love SongsCourtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

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 Athletic Football Show. Sponsored by @usbank.Join The Athletic Football Show Discord Server: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshowHost: Robert MaysCo-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave HelmanExecutive Producer: Michael BellerSenior Producer: Katy DuffySocial Producer: Scott KrinchFollow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.socialFollow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.socialFollow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.socialFollow Robert on X: @RobertMaysFollow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_Theme song: HauntedWritten by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love SongsCourtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

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 officially kick off the season by discussing what they're most excited to watch in Week 1 on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Join The Athletic Football Show Discord Server: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshowHost: Robert MaysCo-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave HelmanExecutive Producer: Michael BellerSenior Producer: Katy DuffySocial Producer: Scott KrinchFollow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.socialFollow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.socialFollow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.socialFollow Robert on X: @RobertMaysFollow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_Theme song: HauntedWritten by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love SongsCourtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

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 do a whole lot for any team, and it did so for the Seahawks once again in the first game of the 2026 season, a 13-10 win over the New England Patriots. Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman recap the game on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Join The Athletic Football Show Discord Server: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshowHost: Robert MaysCo-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave HelmanExecutive Producer: Michael BellerSenior Producer: Katy DuffySocial Producer: Scott KrinchFollow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.socialFollow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.socialFollow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.socialFollow Robert on X: @RobertMaysFollow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_Theme song: HauntedWritten by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love SongsCourtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

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 the road for a month, visiting 21 training camps. More recently, we previewed all 32 teams in the league. There's only one thing left to do: make some predictions. Robert, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman make award selections, predict the division winners and wild card teams, and make their Super Bowl picks on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Join The Athletic Football Show Discord Server: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshowHost: Robert MaysCo-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave HelmanExecutive Producer: Michael BellerSenior Producer: Katy DuffySocial Producer: Scott KrinchFollow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.socialFollow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.socialFollow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.socialFollow Robert on X: @RobertMaysFollow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_Theme song: HauntedWritten by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love SongsCourtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC