Difficulty with playback on podcast app

I’m using the podcast app on my iPhone (16 pro max with iOS 26.0.1). I just started using the podcast app after primarily using iheartradio. I had issues with the playback of subscribed podcasts whereby when one episode was complete, the next one would not start; instead a random episode would start playing. Contacted support and they basically said thanks for the feedback.

I’m now having the exact same playback problem using the Apple Podcasts app. For the podcast I am listening to, I finished episode 2272. Next up should be 2273, but I had to fumble around with all the buttons and menus to get to 2273. Why? Because the app decided it should play 2268 instead. The play next feature did absolutely nothing. Why is it so difficult for the podcast to play in sequence?