Pardon My Take: NFL Championship Sunday Recap (January 26, 2026)

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode of "Pardon My Take" is all about NFL Championship Sunday, setting the stage for Super Bowl 60. The hosts (Big Cat, PFT Commenter, Hank, Max, and Memes) break down the AFC and NFC Championship Games: the New England Patriots’ gritty win over the Denver Broncos, and the Seattle Seahawks' thrilling victory against the LA Rams. The crew revels in the return of the Patriots to the Super Bowl, celebrates (and debates) Sam Darnold’s surprising ascendance, discusses coaching news, goes deep on playoff storylines, hashes out on-show bets, and delivers their trademark comedic banter and shade along the way.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

[03:14] Fastest Two Minutes Recap

• PFT and Hank do a “Boomer” style, rapid-fire recap of both championship games, filled with wordplay and inside jokes.
• Patriots 10, Broncos 7: Defensive struggle in the Mile High snow—Drake May's running and a key fumble recovery turn the tide for New England.
  • “Drake May made them pay with his legs scoring on a six yard scamper.” — Hank [03:44]
• Seahawks 31, Rams 27: Seahawks offense blazes early, the Rams fight back, but a huge finish by Sam Darnold and Seattle stars sends them to the big game.
  • “The Seattle Seahawks are going back to the Super Bowl!” — Big Cat [07:06]

[08:18] Patriots' AFC Championship Breakdown

• The gang discusses the snowy, defensive slog.
• Big Cat calls it “an ugly one to say the least,” praising the virtues and drawbacks of snow football and the survivalist, low-scoring affair.
• Plenty of ribbing Hank over his long-standing (and, as of now, validated) claim that the Patriots would return to a Super Bowl within five years.
• Host debates: Is Drake May a run-first QB? Is that a cause for celebration or concern?
  • “Are you really that confident for long term when you have a quarterback that’s run-first?” — Big Cat [16:42]

Notable Banter:

• PFT: "He’s been saying for years, we’re going to be back, and now he’s finally right.” [10:04]
• Big Cat (on Patriots' inevitability): “You’d have better luck rooting for the sun not to rise.” [10:15]

[13:23] Broncos' Missed Opportunity & Coaching

• The guys dissect everything the Broncos did wrong: Stidham’s fumble, punting woes, and Sean Payton’s aggressive 4th-and-1 call.
  • “That’s just one of the all-time like, dude, just take a sack.” — PFT [15:05]
• Speculation on whether rookie Bo Nix would have made a difference.

[19:14] The $50,000 Super Bowl Bet

• Reminder and rich revisiting of the infamous bet between PFT and Hank—if the Patriots made it to a Super Bowl within 5 years, PFT owes $50k.
• Big Cat proposes a cash cyclone/money booth to make paying Hank funnier.
• Pressure and comedy ensue over potential "double or nothing" on the Super Bowl.
  • “That’s a lot of money. I do feel like just, you know, vibes, karma. I am gonna donate some to charity. Like $10,000.” — Hank [20:22]

[24:43] Patriots: The “Worst” Super Bowl Team Ever?

• Hosts riff over whether this Patriots team is the "worst-looking" to make a Super Bowl, or merely the "luckiest."
• Acknowledgment of “weather luck” and easy playoff path.
  • “Is this the worst team to ever make the Super Bowl?” — Big Cat [25:14]
• Hank stands his ground: “All that matters is winning the Super Bowl. You guys can talk all you want…in two weeks, we’re playing for a Super Bowl.” [27:09]

[32:53] Seahawks' NFC Championship Analysis

• Applause for Sam Darnold’s “balls” and career redemption—calling out his journey through NFL purgatory to becoming a Super Bowl quarterback.
  • “Sam Darnold was thrown out like yesterday’s trash…All he’s done since he’s been [in Seattle] is win football games.” — Big Cat [50:59]
• Praise for Seattle's defense and resilience.
• Detailed breakdown of Tariq Woolen’s almost disastrous penalty, how the Rams could have stolen it, and why Seattle GM John Schneider deserves more acclaim.

[56:31] Super Bowl 60 Preview

• Patriots vs. Seahawks—a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX—with both teams coming from radically different narrative positions: Seattle as the “best team all year” and the Patriots as “luckiest.”
  • “We got a great Super Bowl matchup: The best team in the NFL and the luckiest team in the NFL.” — Big Cat [65:31]

[61:52] Biggest Losers of Championship Sunday

• The show delivers is a rapid-fire "losers" rundown:
  • Titans (since firing Vrabel), Falcons (missing out on top coaches), Devante Adams (0–5 in championship games), the Vikings (let Sam Darnold go), Russell Wilson, the Bills, Dolphins, and, for comedy’s sake, “America” for bad commercials.
• Special satirical focus on the Jets being a “QB factory” that only produces QBs who succeed elsewhere.

[79:05] NFL Rigged? & Miscellaneous Football Storylines

• Joking about the “NFL rigged” meme after a preseason graphic featured Drake May and Sam Darnold front-and-center, now both are in the Super Bowl.
• Complaining about the new AFC/NFC Championship trophies and boring Super Bowl logos.
  • “The trophies used to be awesome—the trophy does suck ass.” — Big Cat [81:36]

[82:36] Steelers Hire Mike McCarthy

• Breakdown of the Steelers’ controversial hiring of Mike McCarthy and fan backlash.
  • “Going from Tomlin to McCarthy is like shitting your pants and changing your shirt.” — PFT (quoting Twitter) [87:01]
• Discussion of whether this signals Aaron Rodgers might reunite with McCarthy in Pittsburgh.

[89:44] Show Hijinks & Recurring Segments

• Fasoli Streaker Story: Patriots superfan jumps into the snow naked during celebration—“the whole world saw his grundle.” [88:07]
• Bad takes, foot-in-mouth moments (Hank’s awkward goodbye to Derrick White at D. Rose Night) [91:43]
• “Who’s Back of the Week”: Shoutouts to Blades Brown (golf), Robert Saleh (as Titans coach), the NFL “Looney Rule” (craziest head coach interviews), and Tom Brady’s $563,000 watch.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Patriots Destiny:
  “They’re just a franchise that has a horseshoe shoved up their ass.” — Big Cat [11:19]
• Drake May Skepticism:
  “If you have a quarterback that runs with the football that much, you’re exposing yourself to a lot of hits and you can get injured. So I’m just concerned, that’s all.” — Big Cat [16:53]
• On Luck vs. Skill:
  “You had great weather luck, which, again, you play when you play—you’ve had great weather luck.” — Big Cat [25:54]
• On Seattle's Redemption:
  “John Schneider…first GM to go to Super Bowls with the same franchise, two different Super Bowls with completely new rosters and new head coach.” — PFT [54:25]
• On The Money Bet:
  “I pressure you for double or nothing—if you do it, I’ll give $5,000 to charity right now, free of charge.” — PFT [21:00]
• “Is this the worst team to ever make the Super Bowl?” — Big Cat [25:14], sparking a roundtable of classic PMT clownery.
• On NFL Rigged:
  “NFL so rigged. In the preseason ‘season dreams’ graphic, right in front: Drake May and Sam Darnold. It was always there.” — PFT [79:42]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:14] Fastest Two Minutes (AFC & NFC recaps)
• [08:18] Patriots/Broncos breakdown
• [13:23] Broncos' missed opportunity, coaching, and the SNOW
• [19:14] $50k Super Bowl bet, Cash Cyclone, Double-or-Nothing
• [24:43] “Worst Super Bowl team” debate, Patriots “weather luck”
• [32:53] Sam Darnold as NFC Champion, Seahawks roster and game
• [56:31] Setting the Super Bowl narrative & the “weather luck” debate
• [61:52] Championship Sunday "Biggest Losers" rundown
• [79:05] Conspiratorial “NFL rigged” meme, logos, and trophy rant
• [82:36] Steelers hire Mike McCarthy—fan and host reaction
• [94:47] “Who’s Back of the Week” (Blades Brown, Robert Saleh, more)

Tone & Style

The episode is delivered in classic PMT style: rowdy, sarcastic, quick-witted, and inside joke-laden. The hosts mix genuine football analysis (including sharp player evaluations, game theory, and stat drops) with relentless comedic riffs and a sense of self-aware sports fan despair (especially from Non-Patriots fans). Good-natured ribbing, incredulity at the Patriots’ luck, and recurring in-house challenges/bets create a loose, banter-heavy structure that die-hard fans love.

Conclusion

This lengthy, laugh-filled episode captures all the joy, agony, pettiness, and wild momentum swings of NFL Championship Sunday. It sets up Super Bowl 60 between the Patriots and Seahawks as a clash of destiny and luck, celebrates the long-awaited redemption of Sam Darnold, and keeps things lively with ongoing bets, quirky merch launches, and plenty of self-deprecation. In other words, classic Pardon My Take—part football, part sports comedy, all spectacle.