The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL

Each of this season's four first-round starting quarterbacks—Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye and Bo Nix—have shown off some highs and some lows, with the possible exception of lows from Daniels. How does all that shake out in the aggregate? Former NFL quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan, the brain behind The QB School, joins Robert Mays to break down what we've seen from the rookie quarterbacks so far this season. Before that, The Athletic's Giants beat writer Dan Duggan joins to recap the team's loss MNF loss to the Steelers and weigh in on the state of the franchise.RundownThe state of the GiantsCaleb WilliamsJayden DanielsDrake MayeBo NixUpon Further Review: Anthony Richardson benchedThe Ball KnowerRome Odunze needs to play moreMatt LaFleur is an elite playcallerRooting for Tua TagovailoaHost: Robert MaysWith: Dan Duggan and J.T. O'SullivanExecutive Producer: Michael BellerProducer: Michael BellerSubscribe to The Athletic Football Show...AppleSpotifyYouTubeFollow Robert on X: @robertmaysFollow Dan on X: @DDuggan21Follow J.T. on X: @theqbschoolTheme 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alright, we'll admit it. We hand waved this week's slate back on our Week 8 preview episode. And then the league delivered one of the craziest days of the season. From the Browns upset of the Ravens, to Washington's walk-off Hail Mary against the Bears, Week 8 came through for us in a big way. Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen recap the week on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.RundownBears-Commanders sillinessThe Philadelphia Eagles...You Have My AttentionTime for a Bengals post-mortem?The Buffalo Bills...You Have My AttentionThe Atlanta Falcons...You Have My AttentionThe first place Cardinals...You Have My AttentionAre the Dolphins done?The New York Jets...WTF?!?The Baltimore Ravens...WTF?!?Anthony Richardson...WTF?!?Did You See That?!?What Did We Learn Today?Host: Robert MaysCo-Host: Derrik KlassenExecutive Producer: Michael BellerProducer: Michael BellerSubscribe to The Athletic Football Show...AppleSpotifyYouTubeFollow Robert on X: @robertmaysFollow Derrik on X: @QBKlassTheme 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're just more than a week out from the trade deadline, and we've already seen a number of impact deals. Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen dream up a few more that we could realistically see on this Week 8 preview episode of The Athletic Football Show. The guys also discuss Bills-Seahawks, the Bears defense, Eagles-Bengals and a whole lot more.RundownVikings-Rams recapBills-Seahawks previewDeAndre Hopkins to the ChiefsRealistic trades we'd like to seeUnder the Hood: The non-Caleb parts of the Bears 4-2 startBummed out by the Colts and Texans offensesThe Eagles and Bengals aren't playing serious football—especially the EaglesHuge game in the NFC SouthWhat Do We Wanna Know?Host: Robert MaysCo-Host: Derrik KlassenExecutive Producer: Michael BellerProducer: Michael BellerSubscribe to The Athletic Football Show...AppleSpotifyYouTubeFollow Robert on X: @robertmaysFollow Derrik on X: @QBKlassTheme 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Back in August, 50 NFL coaches and executives told The Athletic's Mike Sando that Lamar Jackson is not a tier-one quarterback. Welp, so much for that. Lamar isn't the only QB playing outside his assigned tier this season. On this episode of The Athletic Football Show, Sando sits in for Robert Mays and discusses with Derrik Klassen four other quarterbacks who aren't lining up with where those coaches and execs placed them in Sando's 2024 QB tiers column. Then, the guys break down four more quarterbacks who have a ton at stake the rest of the season.RundownRavens-Buccaneers recapBaker MayfieldJared GoffGeno SmithAaron RodgersBrock PurdySam DarnoldKirk CousinsJalen HurtsHost: Mike SandoCo-Host: Derrik KlassenExecutive Producer: Michael BellerProducer: Michael BellerSubscribe to The Athletic Football Show...AppleSpotifyYouTubeFollow Sando on X: @SandoNFLFollow Derrik on X: @QBKlassTheme 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Chiefs are the lone unbeaten team in the NFL as Week 7 comes to an end. They stayed that way by stifling the 49ers in a 28-18 win. The league's other undefeated team at the start of Week 7, the Vikings, suffered their first loss at the hands of the Lions, who also moved into first place in the NFC North. Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen discuss those two games, plus Saquon's revenge, disappointment in the Bengals, and a whole lot more on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.RundownLions win thriller over VikingsChiefs take down 49ersPackers defense shuts down TexansSeahawks get back on track with win over FalconsAnother disaster for the PanthersBengals offense...WTF?!?Saquon's revengeAmari Cooper had some moments in his Bills debutGood Jaguars offense or bad Patriots defense?Drake Maye impresses againWhat We Learned TodayHost: Robert MaysCo-Host: Derrik KlassenExecutive Producer: Michael BellerProducer: Michael BellerSubscribe to The Athletic Football Show...AppleSpotifyYouTubeFollow Robert on X: @robertmaysFollow Derrik on X: @QBKlassTheme 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On paper, Week 7 is the best week of the 2024 season to date. It's highlighted by the Super Bowl rematch, that doesn't quite feel like a Super Bowl rematch, between the Chiefs and 49ers, and it doesn't stop there. Vikings-Lions, Texans-Packers and Ravens-Buccaneers would all be worthy Game of the Week choices, as well. Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen dig into all those games on this episode of The Athletic Football Show, but it is, of course, Chiefs-49ers that gets the full Game of the Week treatment. The guys also discuss the Giants front, the Chargers friskiness, their approval of midseason trades like Amari Cooper to the Bills, and more.RundownBroncos-Saints recapGame of the Week: Chiefs-49ersLions-Vikings: Ben Johnson vs. Brian FloresTexans-Packers: Appreciating C.J. Stroud and Jordan LoveRavens-Buccaneers: Can the Bucs offense keep up?This Might Only Interest Me, But...Wins Pool updateWhat Do You Wanna Know in Week 7?Host: Robert MaysCo-Host: Derrik KlassenExecutive Producer: Michael BellerProducer: Michael BellerSubscribe to The Athletic Football Show...AppleSpotifyYouTubeFollow Robert on X: @robertmaysFollow Derrik on X: @QBKlassTheme 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Never a dull moment for the New York Jets, huh? The Athletic's Jets beat reporter Zack Rosenblatt joins Robert Mays on this episode of The Athletic Football Show to break down the tumultuous week in Jets land. Then, David Helman from Fox Sports hops on with Robert to separate all 32 teams into six tiers, from Super Bowl or Bust (think Chiefs, Ravens, Lions) to Mock Draft Enthusiasts (think Panthers, Browns, Patriots).RundownDavante Adams traded to JetsBehind the Robert Saleh firingSuper Bowl or BustLocked-In Playoff TeamsDeserving Wild CardsClinging to Playoff DreamsBREAKING: Amari Cooper to the Bills!Outside Looking InMock Draft EnthusiastsHost: Robert MaysWith: Zack Rosenblatt and David HelmanExecutive Producer: Michael BellerProducer: Michael BellerSubscribe to The Athletic Football Show...AppleSpotifyYouTubeFollow Robert on X: @robertmaysFollow Zack on X: @ZackBlattFollow David on X: @davidhelman_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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ravens-Commanders was the best game on paper in Week 6, and it absolutely lived up to the billing. And hey, that 0-2 start to the season for the Ravens feels like a lifetime ago, doesn't it? Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen kick off the Week 6 recap on The Athletic Football Show with an in-depth look at the Ravens' win over the Commanders. The guys also talk about the disaster in Dallas, the ascendant NFC North, the suddenly relevant Chargers, and a whole lot more.RundownRavens take down CommandersYou Have My Attention: Bucs-Saints sillinessYou Have My Attention: The suddenly relevant ChargersYou Have My Attention: The NFC NorthDallas Cowboys...WTF?!?Eagles and Browns...WTF?!?The Patriots offense shows some life with Drake MayeCalvin Ridley isn't happy about his 0-ferTyler Allgeier does cool stuff, and the Falcons run game gets goingWhat We Learned in Week 6Host: Robert MaysCo-Host: Derrik KlassenExecutive Producer: Michael BellerProducer: Michael BellerSubscribe to The Athletic Football Show...AppleSpotifyYouTubeFollow Robert on X: @robertmaysFollow Derrik on X: @QBKlassTheme 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some Games of the Week are easy to see coming. Other Games of the Week are Commanders-Ravens. And yet, that's not only the highlight of the Week 6 schedule, but one of the best games to date this season. Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen go deep on the Battle of the B-W Parkway on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. The guys also dig into Lions-Cowboys, the Broncos and Packers offenses, the 49ers' win over the Seahawks on Thursday night, and a whole lot more.Rundown49ers-Seahawks recapCommanders-Ravens previewLions-Cowboys previewWhat's on the Fourth Screen?Under the Hood: Broncos offenseThis Might Only Interest Me, But...Packers offense relative strugglesSpencer Rattler timeTake Tribunal: The Drake Maye panic is overblownWhat We Wanna Learn in Week 6Host: Robert MaysCo-Host: Derrik KlassenExecutive Producer: Michael BellerProducer: Michael BellerSubscribe to The Athletic Football Show...AppleSpotifyYouTubeFollow Robert on X: @robertmaysFollow Derrik on X: @QBKlassTheme 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're used to big news dropping on Tuesdays, but this one was entirely different. The Robert Saleh firing—especially the timing of it—surprised the NFL world, and that's where Robert Mays and Diante Lee of The Ringer begin this episode of The Athletic Football Show. The guys also recap the Chiefs' win over the Saints on Monday Night Football, dig into the Seahawks' run defense and the deteriorating situation in Cleveland, and bat around questions for three good offenses—the Texans, Bengals, 49ers and Bills.Then, John Shipley from Sports Illustrated joins to engage in some franchise counseling for the Jacksonville Jaguars.RundownJets fire Robert SalehSaints-Chiefs recapUpon Further Review: Seattle's run defenseUpon Further Review: The nightmare in ClevelandThe Ball KnowerHouston's early down problemsSan Francisco's passing gameBuffalo's recent strugglesFranchise Counseling: Jacksonville JaguarsHost: Robert MaysCo-Host: Derrik KlassenExecutive Producer: Michael BellerProducer: Michael BellerSubscribe to The Athletic Football Show...AppleSpotifyYouTubeFollow Robert on X: @robertmaysFollow Diante on X: @DianteLeeFBFollow John on X: @_John_ShipleyTheme 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.