The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL

It all started back on September 4, 2025, with the Eagles squeaking out a 24-20 win over the Cowboys. It ends on Sunday, five months and 284 games later, when the Patriots and Seahawks meet in Super Bowl LX. What will it take for the Patriots to go from 4-13 a year ago to Super Bowl Champs? How do the Seahawks cap off their ascent to the top of the league witha Super Bowl title? Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman break it all down on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.

Rundown (timestamps are approximate)
3:29 Broad overview of the matchup
8:00 The lasting influence of Super Bowl LX
13:15 When did we know the Patriots could get here?
15:47 When did we know the Seahawks could get here?
23:29 Patriots offense vs. Seahawks defense
41:36 Seahawks offense vs. Patriots defense
1:01:10 Picks

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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 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.

Eleven years ago, the Patriots and Seahawks met in one of the most iconic Super Bowls of all-time. Those two teams seemed to define the league back then, with Tom Brady and the Patriots dynasty on one side, and the Legion of Boom defense on the other. The league looks quite a bit different now, and not just in the way that things set a decade apart are bound to be different. So how has the league changed in the 11 intervening years between Patriots-Seahawks Super Bowls? Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman consider that question on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.

Connect with The Athletic Football Show
Buy our merch! http://theathletic.lnk.to/tafsmerch
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: [email protected]

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 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.

The Super Bowl is a story in so many ways. The game is, of course, a story unto itself. It also acts as a capstone for the story of the current NFL season. And within the game, we find all these characters who help define the season. So who are those characters from the Patriots and Seahawks? How do they tell us about the 2025 season, and what do they have at stake on Sunday (beyond the obvious, of course)? Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman highlight those characters on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.

Rundown (timestamps are approximate)
5:30 Milton Williams
11:00 Sam Darnold
17:33 Klint Kubiak
25:14 Zak Kuhr
28:07 Mike Vrabel
33:50 Mike Macdonald
39:44 John Schneider
45:01 Drake Maye
50:47 Jaxon Smith-Njigba
57:12 DeMarcus Lawrence
59:16 Riq Woolen
1:02:07 K'Lavon Chaisson
1:04:29 Morgan Moses and Robert Spillane

Connect with The Athletic Football Show
Buy our merch! http://theathletic.lnk.to/tafsmerch
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: [email protected]

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 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.

The last Patriots-Seahawks Super Bowl matchup was anything but a surprise. The Seahawks were reigning Super Bowl Champions, and the Patriots were coming off an AFC title game appearance. This time, however, it's one of the more surprising matchups in Super Bowl history. The Patriots won four games last year, and the Seahawks had to completely remake their offense in the offseason. So how did we get to this point? How did we end up with a Patriots-Seahawks matchup in Super Bowl LX? Chad Graff and Michael-Shawn Dugar, The Athletic's Patriots and Seahawks beat writers, respectively, join Robert Mays on this episode of The Athletic Football Show to profile the rise of the two teams and kick off Super Bowl week.

Connect with The Athletic Football Show
Buy our merch! http://theathletic.lnk.to/tafsmerch
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: [email protected]

Host: Robert Mays
With: Chad Graff, Michael-Shawn Dugar
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.

College football's all-star game season has come to an end, with the Senior Bowl now in the rear-view mirror. Who were the big winners from the week? How will their performances affect the 2026 NFL Draft? Dane Brugler and Dave Helman dive in on this episode of The Athletic Football Show's Building the Beast.

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.