Podcast Summary

The Pat McAfee Show PMS 2.0 #1478: Overreaction Monday, NFL Week 17 Recap

Air Date: December 29, 2025
Host: Pat McAfee
Co-hosts/contributors: AJ Hawk, Darius Butler, The Toxic Table (Boston Connor & Ty Schmidt), Tone Digs
Featured Guests: Adam Schefter, JJ Watt

Overview

This episode is a classic “Overreaction Monday” following NFL Week 17, with Pat McAfee and his crew recapping the most dramatic games, biggest storylines, and looking ahead to the final week of the regular season and college football playoffs. The show features high-energy banter, deep dives into playoff scenarios, coaching rumors, notable player performances, injury implications, and the usual hilarity that defines the Thunderdome atmosphere.

Episode Highlights

1. NFL Week 17 Division Clinchers & Playoff Picture

[00:14 – 05:00]

• Celebrations for the Denver Broncos (first time in a decade), New England Patriots (“the not-so-evil empire is back”), and Chicago Bears clinching their divisions.
• The Eagles clinched previously; focus is on the intense final week and how the NFL schedule makers “got it right” with meaningful games all across the board.
• “Every moment we get a chance to talk about live ball, actual ball, drama around ball, overreaction to ball while it's happening, we must enjoy the hell out of it.” – Pat [01:10]

2. Weather & Real Football: Who’s For Real, Who’s Not

[00:45 – 03:16]

• Midwest got hit with rough weather, adding to the drama: “when the games mean the most, the weather’s normally going to be shite in half the country, but when that shiteness comes alive, that’s whenever we find out who’s real, who’s not.” – Pat

3. Pivotal Games & Notable Performances

a. Steelers vs Browns & SNF Implications

[02:47–05:55]

• Steelers lost to Browns, with major focus on game plans, missed opportunities, and a calamitous end.
• Darius Butler: “Lot of great football. A lot of ticky tack calls, but a lot of great football with Sunday Night Football last night.” [05:06]

b. Derrick Henry’s Dominance

[13:48–22:16]

• “Long live the King” – Henry with his 7th 200-yard rushing game, most in NFL history.
• Pat calculates Derrick Henry’s hit power: “…energy equivalent to 45 90-mile an hour fastballs… enough to light a room for 90 seconds!” [18:04]
• The panel discusses Henry’s unique impact and Baltimore’s (sometimes baffling) reluctance to use him enough.
• Ty: “He had the most rushing yards in Lambeau Field history… that’s crazy.” [20:04]
• “Is there any team that’s going to be able to stop him for four quarters?” – Pat [22:16]

c. Sunday Night Football: Steelers @ Ravens Preview

[22:16–27:55]

• A heavyweight AFC North showdown with playoff and coaching implications.
• Tone Digs bemoans the inevitable SNF matchup, both dreading and anticipating it.
• The rivalry, gambling angles, and the key point: “The dog in this series between Harbaugh and Tomlin is 25, 8 and 3 against the spread.” – Tone [26:32]

4. Other Top Storylines

Denver Broncos’ Emergence

[29:29–32:15]

• Bo Nix’s development under Sean Payton has the Broncos potentially landing the No. 1 seed.
• “This defense, this pass rush against the Chargers offensive line… is going to be a scary situation to watch.” – Darius [29:42]

Chargers’ Struggles

[32:15–34:45]

• Justin Herbert’s season: running for his life behind a battered O-line.
• “Will they ever figure it out?” – Ty [32:58]

Revival in New England

[34:45–41:00]

• Patriots clinch with Drake May at QB: “He just had the best QB game in the history of football… highest single-game QBR since 2000.” – Boston Connor [35:25]
• Vrabel’s leadership and a new culture in Foxborough are major talking points.
• Connor: “It’s hard to hate the Patriots now… winning with a smile on your face, that is new.” [37:11]

Jets Historic Futility

[41:32–48:35]

• Jets’ defense: 0 interceptions on the year, trading away assets; described as a “butthole operation from top to bottom.”
• “Watching them makes you not like the sport.” – Connor [46:05]
• Fireman Ed retires again: “Why am I standing up to cheer for dumpster fires? I’m a firefighter. I’m supposed to be fighting against these.” – Pat [48:24]

5. Game of the Year? Bears vs 49ers Recap

[49:07–54:36]

• “Game of the Year” candidate. Offense, lead changes, huge moments.
• Brock Purdy’s evolution: “Back-to-back games responsible for five touchdowns.” – Darius [54:06]
• Caleb Williams nearly pulls off a miracle for Chicago.
• “Thank you, football. Thank you, Bears. Thank you, Niners. Thank you, Sunday Night Football.” – Pat [54:06]

6. College Football Playoff & Bowl Preview

[06:43–08:06; 93:14–104:00]

• McAfee team will be calling the Cotton Bowl (Ohio State-Miami) & Rose Bowl (Alabama–Indiana) for ESPN2, with tons of behind-the-scenes chat about prep, travel, and weather concerns.
• Guest JJ Watt praises the Rose Bowl atmosphere: “Best atmosphere… should host the national championship every year.” [96:41]

7. Injury & Coaching Updates with Adam Schefter

[62:46–88:20]

• Max Crosby/Raiders: Both sides are “right” on his injury absence; no plans to trade him, but “never say never.”
• 49ers Updates: Kittle pushing to return, Trent Williams’ hamstring is a concern, Fred Warner a “long shot” for postseason.
• Potential Head Coach Openings: Steelers (Tomlin), Ravens (Harbaugh), Bucs (Bowles), Colts (Ballard/Steichen), Packers (LaFleur) all under the microscope depending on playoff outcomes.
• Hot DCs: Brian Flores’ stock is way up, expected to be courted as a DC or possibly HC.

8. NFL Fanbase Mood Check & Overreactions

[188:47+]

• Fans from the Bucs, Colts, Steelers, Eagles, Bears, Bills vent their hopes and frustrations.
• "I don't want to overreact, but..." segment highlights everything from coaching firings to playoff collapses and QB controversy.

9. Memorable Moments & Quotes

Epic Stat Explainers:

• Pat calculating Derrick Henry’s running power:
  “Derrick Henry says here I come. And you’re standing there, going, ‘we got 364 days to the next hockey tryouts, Gilborg. And there’s 45 of them…’” [17:25]

On the state of the game:

• “This has definitely been the year of the great game for sure. Good for the NFL.” – Darius [105:10]

On Brock Purdy’s gifts:

• “We got trucks… we win six games, I get bones.” – Connor [107:19]

On the Colts’ recurring woes:

• “Is every year going to be warranted excuses for the Colts to stink and miss the playoffs? Feels like that is what it's becoming.” – Pat [11:54]

Acknowledgement of the fleeting nature of the live season:

• “We gotta enjoy every single moment… we do not have a lot of time left.” – Pat [00:45]

10. Other Notables & Humor

• Extended “fossil” quarterback gift segment (Joe Burrow gives his OL a woolly mammoth tusk and a fossilized baby T-rex skull, with the crew endlessly mocking and analyzing these gifts) [107:07–123:50]
• Outrage and confusion over the NFL’s roughing the passer calls, with JJ Watt as the “Roughing the Passer Sommelier” [147:13–151:24]
• Frequent detours into golf, TGL League mishaps, and golf simulator business ideas [177:43–186:48]
• Weather alerts during games—special shoutout to the Indiana meteorologist Adam Fike [97:19–100:50]

Key Timestamps

• 00:14 – Division clinchers, Week 17 set up, playoff stakes
• 18:02 – Derrick Henry’s epic performance and science of his impact
• 22:16 – Steelers-Ravens SNF setup and rivalry stats
• 34:45 – Patriots’ revival & new culture under Vrabel/Drake May
• 41:32 – Jets historic futility and fan base meltdown
• 49:07 – Game of the Year: Bears vs. 49ers recap
• 62:46 – Injury & coaching updates with Adam Schefter
• 93:14–104:00 – College bowl game previews & behind-the-scenes
• 107:07 – QB gift segment (Burrow’s fossils)
• 147:13–151:24 – Breaking down NFL roughing the passer calls with JJ Watt
• 188:47+ – NFL Fanbase Mood & Overreaction reading

Tone & Style

• Highly energetic, irreverent, and unfiltered sports talk.
• Mixes deep insider info (Schefter, JJ Watt) with ballplayer perspectives and laugh-out-loud rants.
• Signature, running jokes and recurring impression bits.
• Frequent playful jabs between hosts about their favorite teams and players.

Conclusion

This episode captures the chaos and excitement at the end of the NFL regular season, blending expert breakdowns with the over-the-top humor and inside access that defines The Pat McAfee Show.

Memorable Quote:
"We gotta enjoy every single moment… we do not have a lot of time left… let’s enjoy the hell out of it.” — Pat McAfee [00:45]

For more:

• Check out the full replay for epic “overreaction” fan takes, JJ Watt’s defensive breakdowns, and the wild detours into fossils, weather alerts, and TGL golf.
• Tune in Wednesday and Thursday for Pat and crew’s live field pass coverage of the College Football Playoff.
• And for Week 18? Expect pure football mayhem.

[For brevity, ads, some intros/outros, and non-content segments have been omitted. For full references and specific deep dives, refer to timestamps provided.]