The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL

Get your tickets for the live show! https://lh-st.com/shows/09-01-2026-the-athletic-football-show-with-robert-mays/

Sure, we could rank the NFL's best offenses from 1 to 15 and then tell you the rankings of each host. But then we wouldn't hear Robert call himself a "spineless piece of shit," we wouldn't hear Dave talk about making an offense out of a "ham bone and a moldy shoe," and we certainly wouldn't hear Derrik agonize over picking another NFC North team. So we're doing it this way. Join Robert Mays, Dave Helman, and Derrik Klassen as they draft the NFL's best offenses for 2026.

0:00 Welcome to the show

3:05 Bills

7:44 Cowboys

13:59 Rams

17:17 Patriots

22:25 Lions

26:31 Bears

34:04 Ravens

40:49 Chargers

45:50 Bengals

52:21 49ers

56:13 Packers

59:47 Jaguars

1:04:07 Chiefs

1:06:21 Vikings

1:09:14 Broncos

1:11:25 Honorable mentions

1:18:37 TAFS live show!

Join The Athletic Football Show Discord Server: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshow

Host: Robert Mays

Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman

Executive Producer: Michael Beller

Senior Producer: Katy Duffy

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 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.

Get your tickets for the live show! https://lh-st.com/shows/09-01-2026-the-athletic-football-show-with-robert-mays/

Good news! All of the good stuff you saw from the players you like and all the bad stuff from players you don't like in preseason is real. But the things that don't affirm your existing opinion? Fake. Not going to happen again. Robert Mays and Dave Helman have a mix of both those opinions and more reactions to the first preseason action of 2026.

0:00 Welcome to the show

3:54 Arizona Cardinals-Las Vegas Raiders

4:30 Jeremiyah Love injury

8:29 Fernando Mendoza

9:52 Jeremiyah Love pre-injury

14:24 Chase Bisontis

15:25 Ty Simpson

16:39 Stetson Bennett

21:16 R Mason Thomas

21:42 Drew Allar

23:50 Jager Burton & Aaron Banks

28:24 Caleb Douglas

28:49 Kadyn Proctor

29:49 De'zhaun Stribling

30:33 Jakobi Lane

32:49 Jack Bech

34:46 Matthew Hibner

37:35 Marlin Klein

39:55 Cincinnati Bengals-Detroit Lions

45:06 Cleveland Browns quarterbacks

52:20 Browns receivers

54:21 Carolina Panthers-Buffalo Bills

56:07 Seattle Seahawks-Dallas Cowboys

56:46 Jamal Adams

57:51 Tennessee Titans-San Francisco 49ers

59:46 Other positive performances

Join The Athletic Football Show Discord Server: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshow

Host: Robert Mays

Co-Hosts: Dave Helman

Executive Producer: Michael Beller

Senior Producer: Katy Duffy

Social Producer: Scott Krinch

Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social

Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social

Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays

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.

Robert Mays slowly but surely made his way back to the Midwest from the mid-Atlantic on his training camp tour this week, kicking things off with the Eagles and wrapping it up with the Browns. In between, he made stops in Pittsburgh and Buffalo. As such, you'll hear from Eagles beat writer Zach Berman, Steelers beat writer Mike DeFabo, Bills beat writer Joe Buscaglia, and Browns beat writer Zac Jackson on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.

Rundown (timestamps are approximate)

4:06 Eagles

31:00 Steelers

1:00:03 Bills

1:25:15 Browns

Host: Robert Mays

With: Joe Person, Nate Atkins, Daniel Popper and Jon Machota

Executive Producer: Michael Beller

Senior Producer: Katy Duffy

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 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.

Get your tickets for the live show! https://lh-st.com/shows/09-01-2026-the-athletic-football-show-with-robert-mays/

Between starter announcements, preseason game statuses, and late-camp signings...we couldn't possibly cover all of the big NFL training camp news in one show. So we didn't! Dave Helman and Derrik Klassen run it back for part two of training camp storylines.

Accompanied reading: Bo Nix's area of improvement, https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7503885/2026/08/11/broncos-bo-nix-quarterback-improvement-progressions/

2:43 Kyler Murray & Minnesota Vikings

7:40 What's next for JJ McCarthy

13:19 Bo Nix & Denver Broncos

18:06 Michael Penix Jr & Atlanta Falcons

19:07 Penix vs Tua Tagovailoa

20:14 Caleb Williams/Ben Johnson & Chicago Bears

25:01 Deebo Samuel & San Francisco 49ers

30:41 Elandon Roberts & Pittsburgh Steelers

33:40 Devin White & Detroit Lions

34:39 Darren Waller & Carolina Panthers

37:47 Jonathon Brooks

40:11 Marlon Humphrey/Nate Wiggins & Baltimore Ravens

41:50 Cade Mays

46:18 Jadeveon Clowney & Houston Texans

50:05 Emmanuel Ogbah & Kansas City Chiefs

Join The Athletic Football Show Discord Server: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshow

Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman

Executive Producer: Michael Beller

Senior Producer: Katy Duffy

Social Producer: Scott Krinch

Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social

Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social

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.

Get your tickets for the live show! https://lh-st.com/shows/09-01-2026-the-athletic-football-show-with-robert-mays/

Tired: Ranking. Wired: Drafting. On this episode of The Athletic Football Show, Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman draft who they think will be the best defenses in the NFL. Three drafters, five teams apiece, whoever's quintet ends the season with the best EPA per play wins. Derrik is on the clock...

0:00 Welcome to the show

4:35 Houston Texans

10:14 Seattle Seahawks

16:02 Los Angeles Rams

22:01 Philadelphia Eagles

27:21 Denver Broncos

33:00 Cleveland Browns

42:23 Pittsburgh Steelers

49:18 Baltimore Ravens

53:30 Minnesota Vikings

59:09 Jacksonville Jaguars

1:06:01 Buffalo Bills

1:12:36 Kansas City Chiefs

1:15:44 New York Giants

1:20:20 New England Patriots

1:20:45 New Orleans Saints

1:20:57 Dallas Cowboys

1:25:50 Los Angeles Chargers

1:29:11 Indianapolis Colts

1:31:39 Recap

1:33:09 LIVE SHOW!

Join The Athletic Football Show Discord Server: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshow

Host: Robert Mays

Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman

Executive Producer: Michael Beller

Senior Producer: Katy Duffy

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 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.

Get your tickets for the live show! https://lh-st.com/shows/09-01-2026-the-athletic-football-show-with-robert-mays/

Nick Emmanwori. Parker Washington. Darnell Wright. All of these guys weren't necessarily getting a ton of attention at this time last year, and then they went on to completely swing how good their teams were. Who could do the same in 2026. Allow Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman to bring you the players who could swing the 2026 season on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.

Accompanied watching: Texans training camp notebook (https://youtu.be/dW-SINQBEiU), Seahawks training camp notebook (https://youtu.be/2C5ZH-Qm-wE).

0:00 Welcome to the show

3:46 Marlon Humphrey

10:53 Nnamdi Madubike

17:01 Garrett Bradbury

20:32 Bears left tackles

24:15 Ed Oliver

31:35 Rashan Gary

34:43 Cobie Durant

38:35 Derrick Brown

48:48 Jadarian Price

55:40 Josh Jobe

1:01:25 Keylan Rutledge

1:06:12 Jayden Higgins

1:10:00 AJ Brown

1:20:51 TAFS live show!

Join The Athletic Football Show Discord Server: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshow

Host: Robert Mays

Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman

Executive Producer: Michael Beller

Senior Producer: Katy Duffy

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 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.

No matter how well you know the NFL, a handful of teams every year are going to throw you for a loop on the doorstep of the season beginning. That doesn't mean they'll be bad, or even that you think they'll be bad. It just means you can't quite put a finger on what they're going to be and how they're going to play. Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman name the teams they can't quite figure out in 2026 on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.

0:00 Welcome to the show

4:41 Packers

18:42 Saints

28:41 Chargers

38:11 Vikings

44:41 Cardinals

52:59 Patriots

1:05:28 Commanders

1:08:35 Chiefs

Join The Athletic Football Show Discord Server: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshow

Host: Robert Mays

Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman

Executive Producer: Michael Beller

Senior Producer: Katy Duffy

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 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.

Robert Mays wrapped up his west coast swing at the end of last week, before heading down to the southeast and mid-Atlantic on his training camp travels. That means you get Michael-Shawn Dugar on the Seahawks; Josh Kendall on the Falcons; Nicki Jhabvala on the Commanders; and Jeff Zrebiec on the Ravens on this episode of The Athletic Football Show

Rundown (timestamps are approximate)

Seahawks 4:52

Falcons 36:22

Commanders 54:25

Ravens 1:20:09

Host: Robert Mays

With: Michael-Shawn Dugar, Josh Kendall, Nicki Jhabvala, Jeff Zrebiec

Executive Producer: Michael Beller

Senior Producer: Katy Duffy

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 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.

August comes with salt air, the rust on your door, and a whole bunch of hollow training camp storylines. But how many of those storylines are actually worth believing? Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman dig into the running back market, the Vikings QB competition, Aaron Donald, and more of the trendy storylines coming out of training camp.

Accompanied reading: Alec Lewis on Vikings run game, https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7494772/2026/08/06/minnesota-vikings-run-game-training-camp/

0:00 Welcome to the show

0:53 Jahmyr Gibbs contract and disclaimer

2:48 Bijan Robinson/Jonathan Taylor contracts

8:46 Aaron Donald & Los Angeles Rams official workout

14:32 Jakobi Lane & Baltimore Ravens

18:33 Tylan Wallace nostalgia

19:26 JJ McCarthy vs Kyler Murray

23:56 Frank Smith & Minnesota Vikings run game

27:59 Bud Clark & Seattle Seahawks

32:38 Philadelphia Eagles receivers

35:53 KC Concepcion/Denzel Boston & Cleveland Browns

37:33 Browns trade for Spencer Rattler?

43:00 New Orleans Saints optimism

44:20 Darnell Wright & Chicago Bears contract

48:37 MarShawn Lloyd & Green Bay Packers

50:26 Packers offensive line

52:40 Max Iheanachor & Pittsburgh Steelers

56:18 Dexter Lawrence & Cincinnati Bengals

Join The Athletic Football Show Discord Server: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshow

Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman

Executive Producer: Michael Beller

Senior Producer: Katy Duffy

Social Producer: Scott Krinch

Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social

Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social

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.

Long before Ted Lasso was a smash hit TV show, professional sports teams had been willing themselves to "BELIEVE." Sometimes, that works out wonderfully, as in the case of the Bears believing that Ben Johnson was just what the doctor ordered for Caleb Williams. Other times, it doesn't quite work out, like when the Giants told themselves they only had a Daniel Jones problem. So, what are the stories that NFL teams must believe about themselves this season? Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman crack open the storybook on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.

0:00 Welcome to the show

5:11 Jaguars

13:20 Giants

25:30 Commanders

25:45 Stefon Diggs news

39:50 Eagles

51:27 Colts

57:16 Bills

1:02:45 Chiefs

1:05:43 Bengals/Cowboys

1:08:30 Broncos

1:10:30 Titans

Accompanied reading: Sando's QB tiers, https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/interactive/nfl-quarterback-tiers-insider-rankings-2026/

Join The Athletic Football Show Discord Server: http://discord.gg/theathleticfootballshow

Host: Robert Mays

Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman

Executive Producer: Michael Beller

Senior Producer: Katy Duffy

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 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.