The Pat McAfee Show 2.0 Episode 1416 – TNF Preview, MLB Stretch Run, NFL Deep Dives, and Big Ten Football

Date: September 25, 2025
Host: Pat McAfee (ESPN)
Guests/Regulars: AJ Hawk, Tone Diggs, Ty Schmidt, Boston Connor, Jet Passan, Mike McCarthy, Nebraska Coach Matt Rhule

Episode Overview

This dynamic Week 4 Thursday episode kicks off the NFL weekend with Pat, the Toxic Table, and regular guests covering all the key sports stories. The show weaves NFL previews (highlighting Thursday Night Football: Seahawks at Cardinals), NFL international games, MLB’s dramatic playoff races, insights from Jeff Passan, a breakdown with Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, and college football (especially the Big Ten). Expect a signature mix of hard-hitting analysis, genuine sports nerdery, and the trademark banter that powers PMS.

Main Segments & Key Insights

1. NFL Week 4 & Thursday Night Football Kickoff

• [00:00-07:30]
  • Tonight’s Thursday Night Football: Seattle Seahawks (-1.5) at Arizona Cardinals
    • Seattle, with Sam Darnold and a rebuilt line, is praised: “That Seahawks line has been shite. It has not been. It’s been really good.” (Tone Diggs, 05:21)
    • JSN (Jaxon Smith-Njigba) is second in the NFL in receiving yards, Marvin Harrison Jr. (Arizona) “is dropping footballs—Marvin Harrison Sr. never did that.”
    • Cardinals missing James Conner (injury) and others. Public/Sharps are heavily on Seattle (74% of bets).
  • Betting and Fantasy:
    • “Seahawks, JSN is the second leading wide receiver… only 10 yards behind Puka Nakua, who’s unbelievable.” (Tone, 05:21)
    • Cardinals’ backup RB, Trey Benson, “not a household name, but in fantasy circles, he’s a lottery ticket.” (Boston Connor, 07:57)
    • Hembo stat: "Cincinnati is the only defense that blitzes less than Seattle. Kyler had a 34.5 QBR vs McDonald’s 4-man rush last year—three picks, seven sacks.” (Pat, 06:48)
  • Injury Reports:
    • Multiple Cardinals key players are questionable.

2. NFL International Spotlight: Steelers vs. Vikings in Dublin

• [01:46-04:25]
  • The Steelers are staying in a literal Irish castle: “Two golf courses, Hogwarts-style… Steelers are getting the royal treatment.” (Pat, 02:14)
  • NFL restricts how soon teams can travel abroad, “Should be able to treat it like a bowl game… let teams decide.”
  • Both teams are setting up fan HQs in Dublin (Vikings at JR Mahen’s, Steelers at Kennedy’s on Westland Row).
• Quarterback Storylines:
  • Minnesota:
    • JJ McCarthy injured; Carson Wentz fills in with “a resurgence like we’ve seen from other QBs.”
    • Debate: Should Vikings bench Wentz when JJ’s healthy? “Whole season is about JJ’s development…but if Carson balls, why rush?” (Pat, ~12:10)
    • “KOC is out here making magic happen… If Carson plays well, do you sit him?” (Pat, 11:47)
  • Steelers:
    • Aaron Rodgers starts
    • Tone: “Steelers own Ireland. That’s a de facto home game.” (15:00)
• Strength of Schedules (Vikings):
  • Next six opponents after Dublin: Steelers, Browns, Eagles, Chargers, Lions, Ravens—brutal defenses, raising question whether to expose rookie McCarthy or stick with Wentz.

3. NFL Trends: AI vs. Bettors and Touchdown Scoring

• [62:21-65:57]
  • AI is winning more bets for books: “If you look at the top five games bet on each week, the sportsbook won basically 4 of 5 every week.” (Tone, 62:21)
  • Pat: “Live betting is how we beat AI, they can’t feel momentum.”
  • Recent trend: Star WRs have big yardage (JSN, Puka), but not necessarily TDs; goal-line plungers (Hurts, Henry, Dimes) are dominating in fantasy/TD props.

4. MLB Playoff Race & MVP Debates (with Jet Passan)

• [19:26-38:52]
  • Chaos in the MLB: “It’s so good…Aaron Judge hits two home runs, Cal Raleigh smashes 60…Paul Skenes probably unanimous Cy Young.” (Jet Passan, 20:28)
  • “Biggest Tigers collapse in 150 years…Mets went from best record to barely holding on, both could miss the playoffs.” (Jet, 35:54)
  • Pirates’ Future:
    • Pat: “Bob Nutting, you spend 7 Springs money, you get three bats, you make more money than ever.”
    • Passan: “All Pirates fans want is for ownership to care as much as they do…The Padres proved if you build it, fans show up.” (Jet, 27:37)
  • AL MVP Duel:
    • Ty vs Pat: Is it Judge fatigue? Cal Raleigh, the “Big Dumper,” has the narrative and sexy HR totals, but Judge has the absurd on-base % “Bonzian” statistics.
    • Quote: “He is threatened right now because he knows how good Cal Raleigh’s case is. That’s the problem.” (Jet, 31:40)
  • MLB Playoffs start Tuesday

5. NFL Coaches’ Segment – Mike McCarthy

• [69:16-92:58]
  • Praises AFC/NFC West division strength, and how BOTH Seattle and Arizona are “playing the right way—sustained drives, ball control, winning the LOS.” (McCarthy, 71:57)
  • On Cowboys-Packers SNF: “Micah Parsons, most disruptive defender I’ve coached. They’ll double team him when he gets off the bus.” (75:51)
  • Dallas D has struggled: “On their third coordinator in three years; the base philosophy has changed again. There are correctable issues.” (76:51)
  • Special Teams Revolution:
    • Early-season game-winners, new kickoff return rules leading to more returns (“20% up to 70%”), and novel “squib balls” — “I don’t love kickers doing it… Should be punters, feels unnatural for FGs.” (Pat, 90:39)
    • McCarthy: “Kickoff returners like Turpin can now change games, teams are weaponizing special teams again.”
  • Division Game Philosophy:
    • “Division wins on the road give you huge confidence momentum…You gotta stack them early.” (81:55)
  • On NFL Personnel:
    • “Every franchise looks at trade/FA options 365 days a year now. If you’re not, you’re behind.” (105:29)

6. NFL Family/Genetics Segment (The Watts, etc.)

• [43:09-48:13]
  • TJ Watt shares his high-calorie childhood — double lunches, two peanut butter sandwiches, two dinners, dad (firefighter) recreating meals.
  • Ted Karras (Bengals): “Drank a gallon of milk a day, gained 100 lbs. in a year.”
  • Pat: “Lot of people going to hear this and just eat without working out…That’s how you end up on My 600 Pound Life, not in the NFL.”

7. College Football Focus – Coach Matt Rhule (Nebraska)

• [123:05–142:21]
  • “Michigan loss was tough, but it’s a measuring stick—not a funeral. We’re a much better team than two years ago (55–7 loss)."
  • On bye-week and bouncing back: “You want to play right away; instead, we went 1s vs 1s in practice, best session all year.”
  • Big Ten as America’s Premier Conference: “With NIL and the portal, recruiting is national...and the Big Ten is buying primetime slots (CBS 3:30!)...more depth and exposure now than ever.” (Matt Rhule, 136:57)
  • Penn State–Oregon Whiteout locked in as marquee matchup this weekend; crowd noise, explosive plays, and fast starts will be critical.

Notable Quotes & Highlights

“The Seahawks line has been shite. It has not been shite. It's been really good...they are running ball with Ken Walker, Darnold's had time, and the defense is top-5 in pressure rate—blitzing less than anyone but Cincy.”
— Tone Diggs, 05:21

“All Pirates fans want is for ownership to care as much as they do. The Padres proved if you build it, they will come. The Pirates can do this. The eternal question: will they?”
— Jet Passan, 27:37

“Division games are the best games. The knowledge of the opponent always weighs heavy. You gotta stack these wins early for playoff tiebreakers.”
— Mike McCarthy, 71:20

“He is threatened right now because he knows how good Cal Raleigh's case is. That's the problem.”
— Jet Passan (ref: Ty on Judge vs. Raleigh MVP), 31:40

“I think if you win nothing, ticket sales go down. If you win? Merchandise, beer, pizza, everything explodes! Three bats away, Bob—you’ll make more money than Seven Springs!”
— Pat McAfee (on Pirates ownership), 25:15

“If Carson (Wentz) keeps balling, you don’t gotta pull him. But this entire year, the whole Vikings season, was about JJ McCarthy’s development, and that’s not gonna change.”
— Boston Connor, 17:11

"Our team is a better golf team, but their Ryder Cup team is way cooler. So we gotta hope America's crowd brings the moxy."
— Pat McAfee, 53:37 & throughout Ryder Cup segment

Fun/Banter Highlights

• Seahawks/Cardinals Jersey Unboxing: Gumpy dresses up as Kyler Murray in the new Cardinals “Sandstorm” Color Rush, attempts a mini-hoop pass live on air.
• Watt Family Diet Regimen: TJ Watt on force-feeding and endless workouts; Ted Karras drinking a gallon of milk every day in high school; jokes about kids ending up on “My 600 Pound Life” if they try it without working out.
• Ryder Cup Arguments: Ty passionately hates (but will root for) Patrick Cantlay, while Pat and Foxy debate which team is “cooler” (Europe wins on style, USA on skill, allegedly).
• Pat’s NFL Special Teams Logic: Dissects why punters, not kickers, should be the ones squib-kicking under new rules. “Kickers hitting fat balls messes their whole FG rhythm.”
• Pat & Ty’s “Big Dumper” Love/Hate AL MVP Chat: Great quote insults, squats, and Cal Raleigh’s big ass.

Useful Timestamps

• 00:00 – Pat’s kickoff, tonight’s TNF stakes, Dublin NFL hype.
• 05:21 – Seahawks’ statistical deep-dive.
• 19:26 – MLB chaos starts: Jet Passan joins (MVP, playoff collapses).
• 31:40 – AL MVP argument hits fever pitch (Judge vs. Raleigh).
• 43:09 – TJ Watt/NFL genetics discussion.
• 69:16 – Mike McCarthy segment starts (Cowboys, division philosophy, schematics).
• 90:39 – Special teams revolution/squib kick theory.
• 123:05 – Matt Rhule interview (Nebraska, Big Ten, Penn State-Oregon preview).
• 142:21 – Closing banter, NFL picks, and the crew's Thursday night predictions.

Recurring Themes and Tone

Authentic locker-room humor, insider-level football talk, family vibes, and fearless fan energy. The show is irreverent but well-informed, blending data-dump analytics with wild banter (“This whole Watt thing is just force-feeding and four workouts a day away from glory!”) while prioritizing community and shared love of sports—across both NFL and college.

Final Word

This episode was built for hardcore and casual sports fans alike: NFL Week 4, MLB drama, irrepressible arguments about MVPs, family genetics (thanks, Watt bros), and spirited conversations about what actually matters most in coaching, competition, and fandom. Whether you care about betting, fantasy, or sports talk as pure entertainment, PMS 2.0 hit all the notes.

Listen for:

• Unfiltered picks and predictions (Pat leans Seahawks, plenty of Cardinals underdog talk)
• MLB playoff chaos being celebrated, not just tolerated, during football season
• Deep dive coaching insights with McCarthy and Rhule
• Constant “keep it real” vibe—be it about sports, America, or whose team has more “cool guys”

“It’s a great time to be a football fan. It’s a great time to be a sports fan. Baseball’s crushing, Ryder Cup is on tap, and the NFL is just getting started!'” — Pat McAfee, 142:23