The Dan Patrick Show — Hour 3: Lions Collapse, Nate Burleson (December 22, 2025)

Episode Overview

The final hour of this Monday’s Dan Patrick Show dives into a tumultuous NFL weekend, focusing especially on the Detroit Lions’ latest heartbreak and the shifting playoff picture. Dan and the crew debate which fan base should be most downtrodden, share fun stats and candid reactions, and welcome former NFL receiver and CBS/NFL Network analyst Nate Burleson to talk everything from questionable officiating to playoff predictions. The conversations are lively, humorous, and tinged with the frustration that comes from loving (or covering) perennially snakebitten football franchises.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Monday Polls: Least Believable Teams & Most Miserable Fan Bases

• Negative Poll Questions Galore (04:34–05:54)
  • "Who do you believe in least: Alabama or Miami?" (Miami leads with 63% of the vote.)
  • "Which NFC playoff team do you believe in least? Seahawks, Bears, 49ers, Eagles?" (Bears lead with 42%, followed by Eagles.)
• Which fan base should feel worst? (05:34–05:54)
  • Nominees: Ravens, Lions, Buccaneers.
  • Consensus: The Lions. Dan, with Paulie, recalls how promising the Lions’ season seemed, only for collapse to set in once again:
    • "The Lions were going to the Super Bowl ... They may not make the playoffs now." (Dan Patrick, 05:55)

2. The Lions’ Perpetual Collapse & Jameer Gibbs’ Breakout

• Reflecting on High Hopes Turned Sour (07:01–08:21)

  • The group recaps the Lions’ shocking draft decisions — notably the once-criticized picks of Jack Campbell and Jameer Gibbs — who’s now breaking records:
    • "Jameer Gibbs ... has 48 career touchdowns. He passes Barry Sanders for most touchdowns by a player under the age of 24." (Dan Patrick, 06:00)
    • "He is a Marshall Faulk kind of running back." (Dan Patrick, 07:05)
  • Draft grades at the time were mostly D's and C-minuses; now Gibbs is arguably a franchise guy.

• Fan Pain: Which Is Worse? (08:21–09:39)

  • Would you rather always be a bad team, or have great expectations and see them dashed?
    • "Now you have [a heartbeat], which means you're going to have a heart attack. And that's what happened." (Dan Patrick, 08:32)
    • The NFC North isn’t getting any easier: Bears and Packers are solid, and Vikings could bounce back.

3. Analyzing the Weekend’s Disappointments and Anecdotes

• Lions’ Run Defense Woes (10:22–10:56)

  • Dan: "Who knew the Steelers are going to run for 200 yards and you’re going to get 15?"
  • Todd: "You end up with just 15 yards for the entire game. That’s just unacceptable when there’s a playoff spot on the line."

• Betting Woes and Morale (10:56–12:56)

  • Internal staff bets and a pie-to-the-face punishment for Todd for losing a Broncos bet.

• NFL Announcer Clichés, TEs, and Odd Stats (13:12–17:06)

  • Banter about how announcers use descriptors like “big tight end” or “young rookie,” and a tangent on tight end sizes – from Connor Hayward (“6’0, 230”), to Darnell Washington (“6’7, 311”).

Feature Interview: Nate Burleson (27:03–39:48)

Cowboys vs. Commanders Christmas Game on Netflix

• Dan asks Nate to "sell" a lackluster match-up:
  • "It still is a rivalry game, and you have a couple of cool people in the booth ... we're going to have fun. It’s Christmas Day, we're going to talk X’s and O’s… and the reality is football always finds a way of making itself entertaining, even if the playoff implications aren’t there." (Nate Burleson, 27:03–28:39)

Officialdom & the Lions’ Luck

• Dan presses Nate on the controversial Lions-Steelers ending where a touchdown was called and then retracted due to a penalty:

  • "Why would you start with your ruling calling it a touchdown, and then saying but there was pass interference, no touchdown, game over, drive home safely?" (Dan Patrick, 28:54)

• Nate, a former Lion, recounts his experience with “bad Lions luck”:

  • "I remember when I got there, guys were scoring. They were like, ‘Look, the league doesn’t like us… when a game is on the line, it tends to go the other way.’" (Nate Burleson, 29:25)
  • On the infamous Calvin Johnson “process of the catch” play:
    • "He caught that damn ball. I don’t care what anybody said. The whole, like, back then, it was like the action of the catch, you gotta catch it, tie the ground and get up and then walk to the locker room, take a shower… bury it in the backyard. That catch right there was a catch, and that just—it just left a sour taste in my mouth.” (Nate Burleson, 32:17)

Changing Rules and Receiver/Defender Dynamics

• Ball Security & Defensive Evolution (33:18–35:36)

  • Nate: Modern receivers have to “over-catch” to survive reviews. Defensive players are hamstrung by shifting rules—targeting, tackling zones, the “Peanut Punch”:
    • "Pass catchers... have to focus... Catch, tuck away, snug away from the DB... not just one-two, it’s one-two-three, and to be honest, hold on to that thing until the whistle blows." (Nate Burleson, 33:26)
    • "I feel bad for these dudes trying to tackle right now… you’re really stuck." (Nate Burleson, 34:48)

• “Peanut Punch” Tactic

  • Dan: "I can punch you as hard as I want in the arm and say I’m going for the ball." Nate: "If you’re doing it with intentionality, not to hurt the ball carrier, I don’t mind it. I think it’s one of the smartest plays in football." (35:10–36:15)

Playoff Picks: Bold & Biased Takes

• AFC Prediction

  • "The Buffalo Bills. ... We've seen them win big and we see them put up points… If you're not facing that big three of Mahomes, Burrow and Jackson, I think Josh Allen has to really take this team and look at them and say … we know what this feeling is like to be in the postseason." (Nate Burleson, 36:19–38:23)

• NFC Prediction

  • Nate splits between his ties to former teams—Seahawks and Rams:
    • "I'm torn between, you know, two exes, you know, and then they both fine and we had good times… I just think these two teams, one of them will represent the nfc." (Nate Burleson, 38:27)

• Dan: "In the final 15 seconds, the Rams walk into a party and Seattle walks into a party. Which one are you taking home?"

  • Nate: "How many drinks have I had? Because it might be both." (39:41)

Lighter Moments & Memorable Quotes

• On Lions fans’ pain: "Your pain occurs at different stages. ... There was no heartbeat there. Now you have it, which means you're going to have a heart attack." (Dan Patrick, 08:32)
• On NFL TV clichés: "The announcer always says his big tight end. ... Nobody says his undersized tight end." (Dan Patrick, 13:49)
• On NFL ruling controversies: "Why would you start with your ruling calling it a touchdown, and then saying but there was pass interference, no touchdown, game over, drive home safely?" (Dan Patrick, 28:54)
• On the infamous “process of the catch” rule: "...you gotta catch it, tie the ground and get up and then walk to the locker room, take a shower… bury it in the backyard." (Nate Burleson, 32:17)
• On picking between Rams and Seahawks: "How many drinks have I had? Because it might be both." (Nate Burleson, 39:41)

Notable Timestamps & Segments

• Poll questions and show open: 02:37–05:54
• Lions playoff heartbreak & Jameer Gibbs: 05:55–08:21
• Draft re-litigation: 07:39–08:06
• Running back and run defense woes: 10:22–10:56
• Staff banter about bets and pies: 10:56–12:56
• Tight end/rookie/announcer cliches: 13:12–17:06
• Nate Burleson joins: 27:03
  • Selling a bad Christmas Day matchup: 27:03–28:39
  • Ref controversies and Lions luck: 28:54–32:57
  • Receiver & DB rules: 33:18–35:36
  • Playoff picks: 36:19–39:32
  • “Which team you taking home?”: 39:41

Conclusion

This hour is a classic blend of armchair agony, rapid-fire sports trivia, rueful laughter, and inside-the-lines football analysis. The “misery index” poll questions keep things tongue-in-cheek but honest, especially for Lions fans. Nate Burleson’s segment is a highlight, mixing personal Lions lore with smart insights on how rule changes shape the game. Amidst all the pain and banter, the show strikes a genuine note on the unpredictable journey of the NFL season.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode:

This episode featured a comprehensive, sometimes cathartic, and always entertaining look at sports heartbreak, resilience, and the strange magic of football — especially for fans whose teams can't ever seem to catch a break. Nate Burleson’s appearance serves both as therapy for Detroit (and other cursed teams) and a sharp preview for the NFL’s winding playoff race.