The Pat McAfee Show 2.0, Episode 1472: BA Day with Bruce Arians, MNF Recap, Peter Schrager, Dan Orlovsky, Seth England & More

Date: December 16, 2025
Host: Pat McAfee & Crew

Episode Overview

This richly packed episode is a celebration of "BA Day" with legendary coach Bruce Arians front and center as guest analyst. Pat and his ensemble crew dissect a pivotal Monday Night Football showdown between the Steelers and Dolphins, dig deep on the cold-weather curse for Miami, and look ahead to playoff scenarios. The show ventures inside NFL culture, touches on major news from around the league (injuries, coaching rumors, playoff races), and gives a fascinating backstage look at the music business with Seth England, co-founder of the influential Big Loud record label. Regulars like Peter Schrager and Dan Orlovsky bring added insight and energy, all in the signature fast-paced, banter-driven style the show is known for.

Key Segments & Insights

I. Steelers-Dolphins MNF Recap: The Cold-Weather Curse Strikes Again

• [00:49-04:10]
  • The Pittsburgh Steelers dominated the Miami Dolphins in frigid conditions, snapping Miami’s win streak and continuing the narrative that the Dolphins are hopeless in cold weather.
  • McAfee: "Any time [the Dolphins] went north of the Mason Dixon or below 40 degrees in any type of American temperature? They would get their asses beat. Could this be different? Nope, they got their asses beat yet again." (01:41)
• [04:10-06:46]
  • Tone Digs highlights: Dolphins fall to 14 straight losses when kickoff temp under 40°F; Steelers have now won 23 straight MNF games.
  • The Steelers rested T.J. Watt due to injury but still excelled.
  • Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa heavily criticized for an ugly INT:
    "That interception by Tua was absolute dog [shit]. Maybe one of the worst throws I've ever seen in my life." - Gumpy (04:18)
• [07:05-08:46]
  • The Dolphins’ lack of urgency in the 4th quarter comes under fire; McAfee and the crew mock their slow huddling and questionable game management.
  • BA (Bruce Arians) on Dolphins’ culture: "I think that's a myth, but not for the Dolphins." (09:15)

II. Can the Dolphins Ever Win in the Cold? Culture vs. Weather

• [09:15-12:01]
  • Bruce Arians and Darius Butler debate whether Miami’s cold-weather failures are fixable; Butler suggests with this staff and QB, it seems unlikely.
  • BA draws parallels to past teams who broke "cold curses," citing the Bucs in Green Bay.
• [12:01-13:29]
  • Steelers’ aggressive fourth-down calls get praise, especially for coach Mike Tomlin:
    "He was the aggressive coach last night, which I know all Steelers fans love to see." - Tone (12:18)

III. Aaron Rodgers: Still Got It? Steelers Playoff Run?

• [13:29-14:55]
  • Rodgers is lauded for icy-weather passing poise; the crew marvels at his passing:
    "That guy's 40-plus years old right now. He’ll be able to do that till the day that he dies." - Pat (14:20)
  • Signature highlight: the rope spiral completion to DK Metcalf.
  • BA credits Pittsburgh atmosphere, crowd, and Rodgers: “Stadium was electric and it always is on Monday night. But yeah, I thought Aaron looked fantastic two weeks in a row.” (08:17)

IV. The “Too Many Men” Replay Controversy & NFL Officiating

• [15:01-21:08]
  • Extended discussion of replay assist throwing a flag for too many men—first time ever, used in a prime-time spot.
  • Bruce Arians and the crew debate the spirit vs. letter of the rule, and worry about slippery slopes with replay intervention.
  • Darius Butler: "It's terrible for the game because it's going to be so subjective now..." (18:23)
  • McAfee: "That contract is up [for refs] in May, and it's a big deal because the last time...full chaos." (19:55)
  • Longer discussion about how referees’ union is stronger than either coaches’ or players’ union; refs’ lack of accountability.

V. Steelers' Organizational Culture & Alumni Influence

• [21:44-24:46]
  • McAfee and BA note the unique culture of the Steelers, their embrace of alumni, Hall of Honor events, and stability through having only three head coaches in 60 years.
  • BA: "Every year when the rookies come in, we have a dinner. And Franco used to come. Rocky, all the guys would come and sit with the position players that we drafted...and welcome them to the Steelers."

VI. Playoff Picture: Week 15 Pivots & Remaining Schedules

• [25:03-31:58]
  • Rundown of remaining AFC North race: Steelers must beat Ravens in Week 18 to clinch, but could rest starters if Ravens stumble.
  • "The only thing that matters is that last one against the Baltimore Ravens and they get a chance to host a playoff game." - McAfee (26:23)
  • The new 'tush push' strategy and its variations by different teams.

VII. Rest vs. Rust: End-of-Season Execution

• [65:08-68:45]
  • BA and others discuss whether teams should rest players when playoff berths are locked, or keep momentum by playing starters—it’s all about knowing your team.
  • "Hot at the right time” is crucial—a lesson taken from Arians’ Super Bowl run with Bucs.

VIII. NFL Big Picture: Mahomes' Injury, Chiefs' Future, Tua & Miami’s Dilemma

• [47:54-53:34]
  • Dr. Chow forecasts a long recovery for Patrick Mahomes, possible slow start to 2026.
  • Peter Schrager on Chiefs: "There will be changes. But as much as this season didn't go their way, you could also kind of rest on the fact that we were 1-7 in one-score games and we still do have a really good young defense..."
  • On Travis Kelce retirement rumors: "He hasn’t revealed anything to anybody, and my sources in Kansas City have no indication either way..." - Schrager (52:36)
• [56:05-56:40]
  • Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa on the hot seat: "Everything’s on the table," coach Mike McDaniel says, with real discussions about a change coming for the Dolphins.

IX. Around the League: 49ers, Seahawks, Jaguars, and More

• [31:57-35:47]
  • 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk drama—Shanahan hasn’t seen him in a month; possible post-June 1 trade.
  • Peter Schrager: “You want to make sure everybody's okay, then say football wise, what's that mean for his future? ... Seems like the 49ers and Shanahan, they're over this and moving on.”
• [39:04-44:16]
  • Seattle’s drastic coaching reset gets applause; Mike Macdonald considered for Coach of the Year, Sam Darnold’s limitations discussed.
  • BA: “I love Sam Darnold, don't get me wrong. But he's got to prove it to me.”

X. Deep Dives: QB Play, Execution, and the Trenches

• [93:31-96:27]
  • Dan Orlovsky breaks down CJ Stroud and Trevor Lawrence’s progression as young stars, with high marks for anticipation, middle-of-field passing, and pace.
  • Discussion of what separates “real ball throwers”—how aggression and timing in the middle of the field is a major differentiator.

XI. Music Industry Spotlight: Seth England, Big Loud Records

Crossover with Sports: Building Culture

• [156:30-164:15]
  • Seth England joins to discuss the music business, his parallel experience as a former college football player, and how athletic “recruiting” and artist A&R have similar vibes:
    • “If you’re recruiting an athlete, you need to make them feel comfortable, make sure it’s a mutual fit. You don’t want to just force them to come somewhere where you know it’s not going to work. The same is very true in music.” - England
  • He details the rise of Morgan Wallen as the most RIAA-certified country artist of all time, his natural song-picking instincts, and the importance of culture at Big Loud.
• On Ernest & Nashville:
  • England and McAfee bond over mutual respect/fandom of Ernest (producer/songwriter), the power of Nashville’s “music row”, and why songwriter culture rules the town.
  • “The songwriting community... run the town. Some of Morgan’s best friends... are songwriters, people he’s being creative with a few times a week for a few hours at a time, ... add on a workout class, maybe a Bible study.” - England

XII. BS or No BS with BA (Rapid-Fire Debunks)

Some highlights:

• [128:37-130:55]
  • "Having a top tier defense is the way to win a Super Bowl."
    • Arians: BS. "It helps, but if you got a quarterback that can't score no points, you're going to get your ass kicked anyway."
• [132:03-133:47]
  • "Mahomes and Kelce are Rushmore QB-TE duo."
    • No BS. "They're receivers, game changers, game wreckers. You have to go way back to see tandems like this."
• [135:05-136:53]
  • New kickoff rules & K-balls:
    • No BS. "It's changed everything for defensive play-callers at the end of half... All the kickers making 60, 62-yard field goals is unheard of five years ago."
• [140:45-141:16]
  • "This will be the most exciting final three weeks of the season for playoff spots ever."
    • No BS, per BA: "You look at these last few [matchups]: New England, Buffalo, Jacksonville, Houston, Indy…"

XIII. BA’s Game Balls

• NFC: Jason Myers (Seahawks K). 6 field goals, including a game-winner
• AFC: Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars QB). 5 TD passes, 1 rushing TD vs. Jets in a breakout, historic performance
  • BA: “He's coming to fruition, right? ... Now he's lit, he's got great anticipation.”

Notable Quotes/Highlights & Memorable Moments

• "[Dolphins] ... anytime they went north of the Mason Dixon or below 40 degrees... they got their asses beat yet again" – Pat McAfee, 01:41
• "That interception by Tua was absolute dog [shit]. Maybe one of the worst throws I've ever seen in my life." – Gumpy, 04:18
• "You gotta know your team, where you are injury-wise, how much [rest] will help you. ... All these reps matter." – Darius Butler, 67:50
• "[Aaron Rodgers] ... that guy's 40-plus years old right now. He’ll be able to do [those throws] till the day that he dies." – Pat, 14:20
• "If you’re living in it [cold] ... it works the opposite way, too." – Darius Butler, on weather-adaptation, 11:04
• "I believe in Sam [Darnold], just need the opportunity. Hey, Sam, come on, Sam!" – McAfee, 45:53
• BA on sociocultural ties in football and music: "It is the Steeler way. ... Mike came in, it's Mike's show. Step back, it's Mike's show. You guys run it." (24:46)

Musical Interlude: Music & Football’s Shared DNA

• Seth England (Big Loud) draws direct lines between recruiting athletes and artists, describes songwriting culture, and discusses Big Loud’s artist-forward philosophy.
• Pat on his own music project with help from Ernest, Seth: using songwriting as a form of legacy/self-expression.
• "Big hits launch small names. Small hits slow down the big names." – Seth England's closing message

Fun & Offbeat

• Pat describes adopting a hyperactive Blue Heeler dog – a brief comic relief.
• Tangential banter on F1 vs. IndyCar racing, with Darius Butler admitting he’s been swayed by Brad Pitt’s new F1 movie.
• Hardcore insider talk about team dinners, alumni traditions, and how old-school values translate to both football and music.

Timestamps for Main Segments

• 00:49 — Dolphins freeze, Steelers roll MNF recap begins
• 04:10 — Gumpy and Tone lay out Dolphins futility, Steelers streak
• 08:17 — Bruce Arians on Rodgers/Steelers takeaways
• 13:29 — Rodgers highlights, "too many men" penalty/flag debate
• 21:44 — Steelers alumni culture, Hall of Honor
• 65:08 — Rest vs. rust: playoff teams' end-game strategy
• 93:31 — Dan Orlovsky on Stroud/Lawrence, QB progression
• 128:37 — BS or No BS with Coach BA segment
• 151:17 — BA’s Game Balls
• 156:30 — Seth England interview: music, sports, artist culture

Conclusion

This "BA Day" episode delivers an exuberant, in-depth, and sometimes hilarious look at the NFL’s late-season drama, the realities of franchise culture, and the drama swirling around key players and teams. With a seamless blend of football nerd-out, locker room banter, and a genuinely insightful trip inside the music business, it's an episode that leaves both sports and music fans with plenty of stories, debates, and personalities to carry into the week.

For die-hards and casuals alike, this episode is a reminder that in December, football and entertainment are best enjoyed together—preferably in a warm place, far from Miami’s winter blues.