The Athletic Football Show: Postmortems for Wild Card Round Losers

Date: January 13, 2026
Host: Robert Mays
Co-Hosts: Tommy Beller, Derrik Klassen

Episode Overview

In this episode, Robert Mays and Tommy Beller break down the offseasons looming for the five teams eliminated in the NFL Wild Card round: the Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Philadelphia Eagles, and Los Angeles Chargers. The conversation focuses on each team’s biggest questions, resource situations, roster holes, and priorities for improvement. The hosts bring a blend of analysis and practical optimism, framing each team's outlook with realism and context.

Segment Breakdown & Major Insights

1. Carolina Panthers

Start: [04:02]

Team Status & Season Recap

• Defensive Improvement:
  • The Panthers “went from historically bad to an acceptable level” on defense, particularly against the run.
    • Robert Mays [04:54]: “Last year the Panthers were the only team in next gen history with a run defense success rate of 50% or more. This year they go from a 50% rushing success rate allowed to 38.8%—seventh best in the league.”
• Offense Remains a Work in Progress:
  • Poor offensive rankings (25th in DVOA, 26th in EPA per dropback) with room for hope if everyone returns healthy.
    • Mays [05:46]: “If you can have Coker, McMillan, Sanders... there is a world where that can all come together for you, if you’re optimistic.”

Main Roster Questions

• Offensive Line Health and Depth:

  • Major injury concerns, especially with left tackle Ickey Ekwonu’s torn patellar tendon.
    • Mays [08:09]: “It’s a career-altering injury for a lot of players. There are some recent success stories, but only about 35% return to previous levels within two years."
  • Several interior free agents, including center Cade Mays.
    • Beller [09:55]: “He’ll be the best young center on the market. They probably should try to bring him back.”

• Skill Positions & Bryce Young:

  • Supporting cast at WR and TE has potential, if not star power.
  • Mays [10:34]: “There’s a decent collection of supporting cast pieces here.”
  • Early reports suggest Panthers will exercise Bryce Young’s fifth-year option, giving themselves a two-year runway.
    • Mays [11:40]: “He’s played well enough that you just keep trying to chip away at getting the most you can out of him.”
    • Beller [12:18]: “I'd be shocked if they ever get to a point where they feel like they are going to extend him.”

• Salary Cap & Resource Constraints:

  • Not a cheap roster; limited ways to create cap flexibility.
  • Roster expensive due to free agency spend (covering for poor drafting).

• Biggest Needs:

  • Off-ball linebacker, more pass rush, and a deep safety with range.
    • Beller [16:11]: “This was still the worst pass rush in the league... they really need more pass rush juice.”
    • Mays [16:59]: “They need a little bit more ranged athleticism on the back end.”

Outlook

• Incremental Growth as the Path Forward:
  • The goal is to get both offense and defense to middle-of-the-pack rankings (top 15).
    • Mays [18:00]: “I truly think that is a reasonable pathway and a reasonable outcome for next year’s Panthers.”

2. Green Bay Packers

Start: [18:58]

Coaching

• Matt LaFleur’s Future:
  • Extension likely; regarded as the best realistic option.
    • Mays [19:48]: “I just don’t know who these magical coaches are who people think are going to come in and give you better results.”
    • Beller [19:34]: “It is going to look really funny when they give him a hefty extension after the worst loss of his tenure.”
  • Criticisms focus on conservative game management, not play design.
    • Beller [21:44]: “He sometimes plays to not lose the game.”

Roster/Personnel

• Defense:

  • Struggled after losing Micah Parsons; secondary and D-line need help.
    • Mays [25:47]: “Personnel questions... Rashan Gary has a $28 million cap hit next year. I just don’t think he’s going to play on that.”
    • Beller [26:55]: “If you spend that much money and those are still your problem points, that is a tough place to be.”

• Offensive Line & Skill Groups:

  • O-line uncertainty with key free agents and underwhelming young players.
  • Pass-catcher group is young but promising; expect Romeo Doubs to command attention as a free agent.
    • Mays [29:36]: “That might have to be the group you’re working with.”
    • Beller [30:46]: “Christian Watson played incredibly well... I do think that [WR group] will be a nice piece [going forward].”

Outlook

• Staff tweaks and player development are the likely approach.
• Re-tool O-line, replace secondary pieces, and hope for another step from the current skill groups.

3. Jacksonville Jaguars

Start: [34:28]

Season and Playoff Exit

• Stable, Positive Trajectory:
  • Beller [34:42]: “The Jaguars were truly the only team who played a good game, had a good season... Sometimes you just lose to Josh Allen going off.”

Offseason Priorities

• Offense:

  • Continuity on offense (OC, Trevor Lawrence, Jacoby Myers, Parker Washington, Brian Thomas Jr.) is a plus.
    • Beller [35:46]: “Continuity, the firepower on offense, I’m there.”

• Defense:

  • Secondary is the biggest hole—expect Travis Hunter to move to corner full-time.
    • Mays [37:02]: “You have a need at corner and you just drafted an incredibly talented one [Hunter].”
  • Linebacker Devin Lloyd likely to leave in free agency but seen as replaceable.

• Resources & Cap Situation:

  • Limited cap space, but have four top-100 picks despite lacking a first rounder.
  • Cheap, homegrown talent from the last several drafts is stepping up.

Points of Concern

• O-line & Cap:

  • Interior O-line might need upgrades; Walker Little’s contract situation could prompt a trade.

• Offensive Regression Likely:

  • Beller [44:53]: “Not that high [on improvement]... Likely to be a 9, 10-win team, which is fine, but not quite as exciting.”
  • Mays [45:19]: “There is a chance they take a slight step back, but there are justified reasons for optimism.”

4. Philadelphia Eagles

Start: [48:26]

Season’s Big Questions

• Simplicity of Offseason Needs:

  • This is a straightforward offseason but with a few high-impact decisions.
    • Mays [48:26]: “To me, it’s just not that complicated.”
    • Beller [48:45]: “I have a pretty good idea who you should let walk and who you should keep.”
  • Retaining Jalen Phillips is crucial; Reed Blankenship, Nakobe Dean, Fred Johnson likely gone.

• A.J. Brown Situation:

  • Unlikely to be traded this year due to cap hit but could be after June 1, 2027.
    • Mays [49:37]: “$44 million dead cap if he’s traded before June 1st.”

• Draft Capital & Free Agency:

  • Four top-100 picks.
  • Trade savvy continues (ex: 68th overall from the Jets via Reddick trade).

OC Vacancy

• Coordinator Change Looms:
  • Play-caller with experience needed.
    • Mays [51:41]: “Offensive coordinator is going to be the biggest question... If they hire Brian Daboll, you have Daboll and Fangio heading into next year.”
  • Team is a bounce-back candidate if vibes and OC situation are fixed.

Minor Needs

• Safety, right guard, swing tackle (potential Lane Johnson successor), outside corner.

Outlook

• Mays [54:30]: “If they drafted a tackle in the first round next year, I don’t think that would be shocking.”
• With offensive competence and modest upgrades, Eagles should snap back to contender status.

5. Los Angeles Chargers

Start: [55:03]

Coordinator Shake-up

• Greg Roman Likely Out:
  • Jim Harbaugh non-committal post-game.
    • Beller [55:54]: “Ultimately every Harbaugh regime comes to a point where Greg Roman, you run out of road with what it could be.”
  • Offensive execution and protection issues lingered, exacerbated by an injury-ravaged O-line.

Roster Construction & Spending

• No Half Measures:
  • Massive $103 million in projected cap space; time to attack O-line upgrades.
    • Mays [58:17]: “This is one of those moments... No more half measures. You have $103 million—go out and get two new starters on the interior.”
    • Beller [59:05]: “If Becton is going to be your right guard next year, that’s fine. Throw some money at Linderbaum, throw some money at David Edwards.”
• Pass Catchers Adequate:
  • Mays [59:43]: “I’m fine with the current collection of pass catchers.”

Other Needs

• Defensive Front Departures:
  • Khalil Mack, Teair Tart, Deshaun Hand, and Odafe Oweh all hitting free agency. Keeping Tart and Oweh would preserve depth.
• Cornerback Room:
  • Need a starting-caliber outside corner, not just depth pieces like Cam Hart.
    • Beller [61:25]: “They have the weirdest outside cornerback room in the league.”
• Tight End Depth:
  • More complete TE room preferred given Harbaugh’s offensive tendencies.

Coaching and QB Questions

• Potential DC Loss:
  • Jesse Minter receiving HC interview requests—defensive drop-off a real risk.
    • Mays [62:49]: “Losing Minter would be huge. He’s probably a top five DC the last two years.”
• Herbert’s Playoff Struggles:
  • Most disappointing postseason yet; failed to transcend poor offensive line play and coaching.
    • Mays [64:40]: “This was not a systemic collapse. He played way worse in this game than he did against the Texans last year.”
  • If the pattern repeats, skepticism grows.
    • Mays [67:11]: “If you’re going to be one of the best QBs in the league, you can’t consistently have your worst performances in the playoffs.”
    • Beller [68:09]: “He’s oscillated so much... you hope a new system finds that middle ground.”

Outlook

• Spend big up front, reset the offense with a new OC, retain defensive talent if possible, and hope Herbert rebounds under improved conditions.

Notable Quotes (by Timestamp)

• Robert Mays [04:54]: “...they really went from historically bad [defense] to an acceptable level.”
• Tommy Beller [19:34]: “It is going to look pretty funny when they give him a pretty hefty extension after the worst loss of his Packers tenure.”
• Robert Mays [35:46]: “...continuity, the firepower on offense, I'm there.”
• Tommy Beller [44:53]: “Not that high cause they’re going to play a first-place schedule... more likely to end up a 9- or 10-win team.”
• Robert Mays [48:26]: “To me, it's just not that complicated. This is the simplest one.”
• Tommy Beller [55:54]: “Ultimately every Harbaugh regime comes to a point where Greg Roman... you run out of road for what it could be.”
• Robert Mays [64:40]: “Of the three playoff losses, this is easily the one which [Herbert] was most culpable for.”

Episode Flow

• Each team gets a focused, roughly 15-20 minute segment that diagnoses 2025's disappointments, prioritizes areas for investment, and highlights the main strategic decisions ahead.
• Hosts blend analytical rigor (“They went from a 50% rushing success rate allowed to 38.8%”) with a conversational, grounded tone (“If I was Buffalo, I’d call the day after the season ends”).
• The repeated motif: Incremental improvement, avoiding overreactions, and the importance of resource-savvy planning in the modern NFL.
• For teams with bigger decisions (Eagles OC, Chargers’ staff overhaul, Packers’ LaFleur), the hosts use recent history and broader league trends to contextualize what comes next.

Key Timestamps

• [04:02] – Panthers postmortem & 2026 outlook
• [18:58] – Packers reflection, LaFleur extension, staff evaluation
• [34:28] – Jaguars’ continuity, roster depth, and 2026 regression risk
• [48:26] – Simple Eagles offseason: retain, regroup, draft smart
• [55:03] – Chargers: O-line overhaul, OC search, Herbert’s struggles

Final Takeaways

• For these playoff losers, the offseason is about targeted tweaks, prudent staff decisions, and building on foundational strengths.
• The tone is measured—not doom and gloom, but honest about challenges and optimistic where warranted.
• The episode is a blueprint in how to run a realistic, no-nonsense postmortem, with substantial insights for fans looking beyond simple hot takes.