Eleven Lessons We Learned From the NFL's BEST Offenses

Sure, you learn something new every day. But today? Today you're learning ELEVEN new things...straight from the NFL's best offenses from the 2025-26 season. What do we know now about tight end usage? What role does play action serve in an efficient offense? And what should you actually do on first downs? Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen, and old friend Nate Tice dig into all of the best lessons from last season on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.

0:00 Welcome to the show
0:26 He’s baaaack
1:43 How many tabs do you have open?
3:06 Twin tight ends
7:28 Adding layers to your offense
7:48 Ex: Seattle Seahawks
11:16 Ex: Los Angeles Rams & Colby Parkinson
14:32 Creativity in motion players
15:24 Ex: San Francisco 49ers & Kyle Juszczyk
16:01 Ex: Mike McDaniel & Los Angeles Chargers
16:11 Miami Dolphins fun fact
16:27 This is a pro-Julian Hill podcast
18:23 Ben Johnson, you are a sicko
19:03 “Kyle Shanahan offense on LSD”
20:42 Offensive tempo
21:57 Looking at new frontiers
22:11 “You can’t take penalties!”
22:23 Drake Maye aficionados
26:04 Ex: Jacksonville Jaguars
26:54 Holding the quarterback’s hand
28:03 Ex: Jared Goff
30:30 The 2-high revolution
31:32 Year 2 Maye & Josh McDaniels
31:51 “Diet Coke AJ Brown”
32:58 Ex: Trevor Lawrence
35:06 Play action is f***ing back, baby
37:11 Giving defense information pre-snap
42:57 “Bruce Arians would puke”
43:26 Detroit Lions offense oddity
44:19 Ex: Caleb Williams
45:31 Utilizing first downs
45:50 “As God intended!”
46:26 Ex: Rams vs Seahawks
49:50 Ex: Ben Johnson
52:43 Words are difficult!
55:28 “Get back on track” situations
55:38 Ex: Dallas Cowboys
59:31 Respecting the deep throw
1:07:09 Upcoming show schedule

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