ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes joined Bills team owner and president Kim Pegula and multimedia journalist Maddy Glab on the latest episode of "Bills Pod Squad," presented by New York Lottery.
The episode is available now on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. You can also watch the episode below, on the Bills' YouTube channel, or on the Bills Mobile app, presented by M&T Bank.
Here are three takeaways from their conversation.
1. She got her start as an investigative journalist
Kimes wrote for Fortune and Bloomberg News before making the jump to ESPN as an NFL reporter in 2015, a career path she had never planned for. Before that, she was simply a diehard Seattle sports fan who particularly loved football.
"It's a real dream I think to make that jump and I feel very fortunate," she says.
Kimes tells her story and talks about how the skills she picked up in her past career have translated to her job as an NFL analyst beginning around the 24:00 mark.
2. She sees the Bills as a true contender
Kimes ranks the Bills third among NFL teams going into the playoffs, behind the Chiefs and Packers but ahead of the Saints and her beloved Seahawks.
"For football nerds like myself, it's been a really fun season to watch that offense," she says. "I would say the other thing that makes the team stand out as we look towards the playoffs and think about matchups and Super Bowl contenders, the Bills are very balanced. … I think over the last few weeks you've seen this team achieve the level of balance you want going into the postseason."
Hear Kimes break down the Bills in full at the start of the interview, which begins around 17:00.
3. She believes Josh Allen's progress is worth studying
Kimes speaks about Allen's growth, which she believes has vaulted him to a top-three quarterback.
"This is, statistically, everything about it is pretty unprecedented," she says. "It's, frankly, remarkable. I think because it's so unprecedented, there's probably a number of reasons and factors that went into it that, frankly, people should study."
Hear her explanation around the 34:00 mark.
