The Athletic Football Show (Jan 11, 2026)

Episode: Saturday Recap – Rams and Bears Leave With Clutch Wins
Hosts: Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen, Dave Helman

Overview

In the first weekend of the NFL playoffs, Robert Mays, Dave Helman, and Derrik Klassen dissect two wild, down-to-the-wire games: the Chicago Bears’ dramatic comeback victory over the Green Bay Packers, and the Los Angeles Rams’ escape from a plucky Carolina Panthers squad. The crew analyzes the wild swings, strategic decisions, and big performances that defined both contests, while reflecting on coaching futures, team identity, and what’s next.

Bears vs. Packers: Playoff Heart-Stoppers, Comebacks, and Coaching Decisions

Game Summary and Impact

• [01:54] Robert Mays sets the scene for a game that “just seemed like it was over halfway through,” with the Bears clawing back for “one of the craziest football games I have ever seen in my entire life.”
• [03:08] Derrik Klassen: “All anyone wants out of playoff football... all you want is for your heart to be bumping at the end of it. ... my heart was going for the last... once we got inside the two minute, I was like, oh, my god.”
• [03:33] Dave Helman: “A game that we had five, six weeks to joke about, to be even dumber than our wildest dreams... it just. It was so good. And it speaks to who the Bears have been this season. Of course they came back. Of course, a dozen ridiculous things happened.”

Notable Sequence: Caleb Williams' Fourth Down Heroics

• [04:27] Robert Mays pinpoints the crucial play—

  “That fourth and eighth throw to Roma Dunze saves the game. I mean... I hope that we talk about that play in a long and excellent career for Caleb Williams... rolling to his left, not even just to get that throw off, but the placement on that throw has to be perfect.”

• [05:29] Derrik Klassen on the throw: “He like jumped past—shooting a three point shot. It's special.”
• [05:45] Dave Helman: “Outside of Josh Allen, obviously there are super mutants... who could get away. But Isaiah McDuffie was all over him... A lesser athlete gets sacked there.”

Bears Offense: Explosive, Erratic, but Resilient

• [14:20] Mays: “The passing game was what you've come to expect from the Bears this season—explosive... but wildly inconsistent.”
• Caleb Williams’ turnovers and huge plays are both dissected.
• TE Colson Loveland receives special praise:
  • [16:15] Klassen: “First time a rookie tight end has had over 100 yards in like 30 years.”
  • [16:53] “Every Loveland target after [early drops] was just like, oh my God, that's the best player on the field.”

Coaching and Game Management Debates

• On leaving too much time for the Packers:
  • [08:34] Dave Hellman: “I hated it. ...I'm trying to get another 20, 30 seconds off the clock and make it that much harder...”
  • [09:08] Klassen: “Go for the throw, man. ... When they have to get into the end zone, take the points whenever you can get them.”
• On Packers’ timeout usage:
  • [09:51] Mays: “Packers call timeout with 2:07 left... I'm shocked. ...because... you're going to need every single clock stoppage you can get...”
  • [10:51] Klassen: “If people—if Green Bay fans are extremely mad at the coaching staff in this game, that's the moment... you come out with the delay of game.”

Bears Defense: Adjustments Spark Comeback

• [11:12] Mays on halftime changes: “Watching them play the way they did in the second half was so heartening... the blitz heavy plan early on from Dennis Allen... saying we're not going down unless we're swinging, was the right move.”

Packers’ Collapse: Talent, Health, and Coaching Future

• [23:47] Hellman suggests: “I think this is a game that could cost Matt LaFleur his job.”
• [24:51] “This is a Packer team that lost arguably its two best players... that's tough. But holy shit, man, they missed their quarterback for most of the stretch...”
• [27:37] Hellman explores the case for change: “Maybe... a new set of ideas would benefit this team, a new approach.”
• [29:04] Discussion of failed attempts to reshape the offensive line and the consequences of missing value with free agency signings.

Quotes to Remember

• [32:54] Robert Mays: “I think that there is reason to believe that it's not worth giving up on this version of what you've built...”
• [33:01] “I'm in a place now where I'm in love with a different team. In the NFC North. The Bears rule the North.”

Caleb Williams as Entertainment and Enigma

• [35:17] Hellman: “Has Caleb Williams just been the most entertaining player in NFL football. And that does not mean best.”
• [37:17] Mays on Williams’ raw talent:

  “You used the term super mutant earlier... what Caleb Williams reminds me of now... in certain depictions of Cyclops where he doesn't have the visor... it's just spraying... That is Caleb Williams, where he is a mutant... but the calibration isn't there yet.”

Rams vs. Panthers: A Near-Upset and Lessons on Playoff Fragility

Panthers’ Grit and Defensive Standouts

• [43:39] Robert Mays gives Carolina credit: “If you talk about an encouraging showing from a team... it's year two of Canales, you're an eight and nine team. You're 10 point underdogs at home... the Panthers deserve a ton of credit for making this as fun and as entertaining as it was.”
• [46:32] Klassen: “In the middle two quarters, the second and third quarter, the Panthers were the better team, absolutely, significantly.”
• [46:37] Mike Jackson, J.C. Horn get highlighted for excellent corner play.

Defensive Adjustments and Game Plan

• [47:23] Mays: Panthers’ creative coverages and pressure “was just giving the Rams more problems than you might expect.”
• [48:34] Klassen on the Rams, “did struggle to find... the answer (to the Panthers’ coverage)... I was kind of surprised they didn’t go heavier... and really try to pick on [Panthers’] linebackers.”

Rams Offensive Execution: Stars, Misses, and Late Heroics

• [50:17] Hellman: “They score with Kyron Williams on a little angle route... it doesn’t have to be flashy.”
• Colby Parkinson’s TD catch:
  • [51:27] Mays: “Parkinson and Stafford just make an insane play to win the game.”
• On-the-record adrenaline:
  • [51:30] Dave Hellman: “Stafford said, let's go snatch their hearts. ...Devonte was like, this is the most gangster shit I've ever heard in my life.”

Panthers’ Offense: Young WRs Shine, Bryce Young’s Progress

• [53:28] Klassen: “The way that McMillan played, Coker played was exactly what you’re scared of if you are this Rams defense...”
• [56:41] Mays analyzes Bryce Young’s interception: “The most important aspect... he has to reset... But still, not a ball that Bryce should even attempt.”
• [57:34] Klassen: “They did a lot of really spreading the Rams out...let’s make these corners cover as much space as possible...& they made them pay...”

Special Teams and Key Plays

• [54:40] Derek Classen: “Isaiah Simmons blocked punt... and as a gunner, pins inside the 10; huge special teams impact.”
• [58:31] Mays recalls: “The Puka Nacua defensive back moment... just think about if that doesn’t happen.”

Final Rams Drive and Defensive Critique

• [59:08] Hellman: “It’s a talking point on social media... the Panthers played pretty soft on the last possession... but without J.C. horn, what’s your alternative? ...But Panthers were playing like 12 yards off the whole way down the field.”
• [59:57] Mays: “I think their best [defensive] versions... was when they were getting aggressive up front.”

Rams' Frailty and The Window of Opportunity

• [61:27] Hellman on Rams’ “fragile build”: “Your quarterback is as old as he is. He’s not having this season again... I do think every year really, really, really does matter for this Rams team just the way that they built this thing.”
• [62:32] Mays: “When was the last time [the Rams] looked like the best team in the league?... It's been a while.”
• [63:57] Derek Classen on Quinton Lake’s return, but lack of full impact.

Panthers’ Silver Linings

• [67:08] Derrick Klassen: “If you told any Panthers fan going into the season that you played a game that went down to the wire against a basically healthy Rams team... you would take that 100% of the time.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro & Setting the Table: 01:54 – 03:33
• Caleb Williams’ Fourth-Down Magic: 04:27 – 05:45
• Coaching and Game Management Debate: 08:34 – 10:51
• Bears’ Defensive Resurgence: 11:12 – 12:49
• Bears Passing Game/Colson Loveland praise: 16:15 – 16:53
• Packers’ Collapse & LaFleur’s Future: 23:47 – 24:51
• Rams-Panthers: Panthers Defensive Stars: 46:32 – 47:23
• Rams Late TD Drive/Stafford Quote: 51:30
• Panthers Big WR Plays: 53:28 – 57:34
• Special Teams Swings: 54:40
• Rams’ Fragility and Playoff Window: 61:27 – 62:33

Notable Quotes

• Robert Mays [04:27]:
  "That fourth and eighth throw to Roma Dunze saves the game. ... The placement on that throw has to be perfect in order for that to work."
• Dave Hellman [05:45]:
  "A lesser athlete gets sacked there... I would put that on a short list of throws of the year."
• Derrik Klassen [16:15]:
  "First time a rookie tight end has had over 100 yards in like 30 years."
• Dave Hellman [51:30]:
  "Stafford said, let's go snatch their hearts. ... This is the most gangster shit I've ever heard in my life."
• Robert Mays [37:17]:
  "What Caleb Williams reminds me of ... in certain depictions of Cyclops where he doesn't have the little visor thing on and it's just spraying ... that is legitimately what Caleb Williams reminds me of in this stage."

Final Thoughts

• The Bears demonstrated signature resilience and chaos, fueled by Caleb Williams' raw talent and Colson Loveland’s breakout game, while exposing game management questions for the Packers and their coach’s future.
• The Rams, heavily favored, nearly suffered a historic playoff loss as the Panthers’ young offense and secondary shined, uncovering cracks in L.A.’s supposed juggernaut status and raising urgency about their closing Super Bowl window.
• Both games provided all the volatility, drama, and strategic wrinkles that make the NFL playoffs a can’t-miss event.

Next up: The crew will be back for Sunday’s playoff games and “Monday Hangover” postmortems for the eliminated teams.