New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce

Kelce brothers pair NFL chaos with Tyson’s science of the strange

Mile High Heartbreak, Eagles Rebuild?, Simmons Debut and NFL Conspiracy Theories with Neil deGrasse Tyson | Ep 209

The episode connects football’s tactical problems and spectacular highlights with a skeptical tour of conspiracies, space, aliens, and physics.

3 key takeaways
  1. 1The Chiefs’ narrow Denver loss exposes how penalties, short-yardage execution, and late-game decisions can outweigh broader offensive plans.
  2. 2The Eagles’ six-game skid prompts a debate over injuries, leadership, locker-room mentality, and whether rebuilding would solve deeper execution problems.
  3. 3Neil deGrasse Tyson applies skepticism and physics to moon-landing theories, alien speculation, interstellar comets, and Philadelphia’s tush push.

Don't miss

Neil deGrasse Tyson uses physics to explain the Eagles’ tush push, including why grounded players can generate more force than airborne defenders.

The brief

The Kelce brothers open with Kansas City’s close Denver loss, where penalties, a false start, fourth-down choices, and a stalled final drive turn small errors into the result.

Philadelphia’s six-game skid raises a harder question than whether the Eagles need a rebuild: can injuries, execution, leadership, and locker-room belief be fixed without starting over?

Neil deGrasse Tyson brings a physicist’s skepticism to moon-landing and flat-Earth conspiracies, then separates natural comet behavior from sensational claims about alien origins.

The episode’s sharpest crossover comes when Tyson explains the tush push through force, leverage, and contact with the ground—then jokes about its negligible effect on Earth’s rotation.

A final countdown celebrates improbable athletic feats, from giant linemen carrying the ball to a high-school xylophone performance of “Thunderstruck.”

Books & mentions

Some links are affiliate links — PodLume may earn a commission if you buy.

Weekly email

State of the Pod, every Monday

The week's most-discussed names and stories from podcasts, with the moments behind them. Free, five minutes, unsubscribe in one click.

Listen to the full episode and explore every guest, topic, and moment on PodLume.