
The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny
ESPN NFL analysis and football discussion
Power Hour 4! Ranking All 32 Teams with Bill Simmons

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Mina Kimes is emphatic that the Bengals will not make the Super Bowl, stating 'The Bengals are not making the Superbowl' and 'There's no chance. The Bengals will not make the Superbowl period.' This reflects skepticism about the Bengals' championship window despite fan optimism.
Mina Kimes highlights the Eagles' back-to-back Super Bowl potential as a rare achievement, placing them in an elite stratosphere of NFL teams with genuine championship continuity.
Levis is mentioned as the Jets' quarterback option; Mina Kimes states she doesn't mind Levis and notes there's a chance the Jets' offensive line won't be terrible, suggesting cautious optimism about the quarterback situation.
Winston is compared unfavorably to other struggling quarterbacks; Mina Kimes notes that if dinging quarterbacks for poor play, Winston and Sanders are in the same tier of bad quarterback performance.
Watson was 44th in passer rating on paper drop backs before his Achilles injury, establishing a baseline of poor quarterback play that raises questions about the Browns' offensive ceiling.
Lamar Jackson was ranked 69th on the NFL player list, below Bo Nix, which is an absurdly low ranking for one of the league's elite quarterbacks.
Jacoby Brissett is holding out for the Cardinals, demanding starter pay while claiming to be the starter; Mina Kimes notes this is emblematic of the Cardinals' quarterback situation dysfunction, saying "there really is no sentence that better captures the state of the Arizona Cardinals right now better than Jacoby Brissett is holding out."
Gino Smith is described as "marginally like competent" and was "really horrible last year"; Mina Kimes took "probably the single biggest L" on him, as he "suddenly turn[ed] into the worst quarterback of all time out of nowhere." However, she believes he will be better than at least a couple of the remaining quarterbacks on the team ranking list.
Jahmyr Gibbs is described as "a monster" by Mina Kimes, who is a fan of his play with the Browns.
The last time Deshaun Watson played football, he was 44th in the passer rating drop back before his Achilles injury; this poor performance is cited as a counterpoint to optimism about the Browns' talent level.
Malik Nabers' injury status is concerning; the Giants say he won't come back until he's 100% perfect, and people are scrutinizing celebrity dodgeball games and noticing he's walking with a slight limp, which Mina Kimes does not like to see.
Drake Maye was the second-highest scrambler in modern NFL history (top 25), and the Patriots tried to prevent him from scrambling because he kept taking head hits; last year he was nervous about scrambling due to coaching emphasis on "just go down, don't take hits," which may have led to carelessness with the football.
Jaden Daniels had a 16% scramble rate last year, the second-highest in modern NFL history (only Vick in 2003 topped it), which is concerning given his slight frame (appears to weigh around 175 pounds); Mina Kimes does not trust him to stay healthy and worries about his injury risk from excessive scrambling and taking hits.
Bryce Young is identified as the core issue with the Panthers' inconsistency; the team would look like the worst in the NFL one week and then go toe-to-toe with strong teams the next, but "It was Bryce Young related and that's going to be the issue as always."
Jalen Coker, a Holy Cross grad, was seen at the Bob Cousy event and expressed frustration about the Panthers' near-miss against the Rams, saying "we almost beat the Rams. Like we were right there. We should have beaten them." Mina Kimes thought the same way and believes the Panthers could have beaten them.
Jonathan Taylor is on the Colts in what may be a contract year, which is noted as "a little concerning" for team stability, though Mina Kimes thinks the Colts will be fine overall.
The Colts lost Michael Pittman Jr., which is a notable roster loss for a team that was "pretty good last year for eight weeks" before falling apart after injuries to Gardner Minshew and Daniel Jones.
Chris Olave is described as a "classic zag fantasy guy where everybody gave up on him and you just kind of swoop in and grab them"; he was big for Mina Kimes in her fantasy league with Danny Kelly and his high school friends, and is noted as "great."
The Saints kept Alvin Kamara and paid him a little to wind things down, with no bad or angry vibes around the situation, suggesting continued role stability and team harmony.
Kyler will look good for three weeks while the coaching staff schemes different things for him to run around and do, but then opposing teams will figure them out and the Cardinals will go one and eight to finish the season, after which "we won't hear from them again."
McCarthy was touted by the Vikings coaching staff all last year, with the head coach discussing his zoom calls and daily interactions, but McCarthy "couldn't have been worse" in actual play; reporters later claimed the pick was entirely the GM's decision and the coaching staff had nothing to do with it, suggesting a significant disconnect between pre-season hype and on-field performance.
Kimes ranks Prescott as a top 10 QB, noting that the long-running debate over his quality (Prescott vs. Wentz discourse) has largely settled with consensus acceptance that he is good; however, she expresses skepticism about his playoff performance, unable to recall a single meaningful playoff moment despite acknowledging he destroyed the Buccaneers in 2023.
Mahomes is returning from torn ACL surgery sustained at the end of the season; Kimes notes his scrambling ability was central to his greatness and expresses concern about his recovery after nine months, though she acknowledges he has historically bounced back quickly from injuries.
Mina Kimes questions Christian Watson's durability and consistency, noting 'Kind of like him. I kind of like. But what evidence do we have that he can play six games in a row?' This skepticism about Watson's ability to stay healthy and productive undermines confidence in his fantasy value despite the Packers' investment in his contract.
Mina Kimes expresses approval of Jordan Love as a quarterback, stating 'Of course. I do like love. I like love too,' in the context of evaluating the Packers' roster talent and competitiveness.
Mina Kimes expresses strong conviction on Colston Loveland, stating 'I would literally break my pinky finger to get Loveland in fantasy this year,' indicating elite-tier enthusiasm for the tight end. She notes the Tyler Warren versus Loveland decision 'flipped' from seeming like 'the dumbest decision of all time' to 'yeah, it actually probably take Loveland,' suggesting Loveland's draft stock and fantasy appeal have risen significantly.
Joe Burrow claims the Bengals are his best team yet in Cincinnati and the best team he's ever been around; however, Mina Kimes expresses skepticism about his durability, noting he has missed as many or more games than Lamar Jackson and has had multiple different injuries, making health a key concern for the team's 10-win potential.
Mina Kimes references veiled AJ Brown shots in potential narratives about the Eagles' improved vibes this season, suggesting some skepticism about his role or fit despite the team's offensive improvements.
Mina Kimes lists A.J. Brown (Smith) among the Eagles' blue-chip and red-chip talent as part of her argument that Philadelphia's roster is significantly better than market perception suggests. She projects the Eagles will reach 10–11 wins or 11–6 once the talent level is accounted for, indicating Brown is a cornerstone piece of the Eagles' offensive talent despite concerns about the quarterback and new offensive scheme.
Mina Kimes lists Saquon Barkley among the Eagles' blue-chip and red-chip talent as part of her argument that Philadelphia's roster is significantly better than market perception suggests. She projects the Eagles will reach 10–11 wins or 11–6 once the talent level is accounted for, implying Barkley is a key piece of that offensive firepower despite concerns about the quarterback and new offensive scheme.
Mina Kimes lists Jalen Hurts among the Eagles' blue-chip and red-chip talent, emphasizing that despite perception the Eagles will struggle, they have a lot of good players and likely the second, third, or fourth best offensive line in the league. She projects the Eagles will end up going 10–11 wins or 11–6 once the talent level is accounted for, suggesting the market is underestimating them due to lack of trust in Hurts in the new offense and concerns about quarterback play, but the underlying roster is strong.
Mina Kimes highlights the Chargers' acquisition of Mike McDaniel as 'rocket fuel' for Justin Herbert, noting the addition of a full season of Hampton and the return of both starting tackles. She views the Chargers' offensive line as potentially very good and sees the team's ability to manage injuries last year as impressive, suggesting McDaniel's hire (positioned as a Josh McDaniels-level upgrade) combined with improved personnel could drive a significant team jump.
Mina Kimes notes Lamar Jackson's playoff record as a key judgment criterion for quarterbacks, acknowledging his high ceiling but expressing concern about his history of missed time—he's had multiple seasons where he's only played half the season, comparing his durability profile to Embiid with a dash of Mitchell. The implication is that while his highs are as high as anyone's, his availability and postseason performance remain question marks.
Mina Kimes identifies Trevor Lawrence as one of only four good quarterbacks the Ravens face all year, as part of her analysis of Baltimore's favorable schedule.
Mina Kimes identifies Justin Herbert as one of only four good quarterbacks the Ravens face all year, as part of her analysis of Baltimore's favorable schedule.
Mina Kimes identifies Josh Allen as one of only four good quarterbacks the Ravens face all year, as part of her analysis of Baltimore's favorable schedule.
Mina Kimes identifies Dak Prescott as one of only four good quarterbacks the Ravens face all year, as part of her analysis of Baltimore's favorable schedule.
Mina Kimes notes that the Ravens play Joe Burrow twice in their schedule, identifying him as one of only four good quarterbacks they face all year (along with Dak Prescott, Josh Allen, and Justin Herbert). This is part of her analysis of the Ravens' favorable schedule.
Mina Kimes discusses Lamar Jackson's playoff record as the key metric for evaluating his legacy, noting that "he just needs to do it" in the playoffs. She frames his situation as similar to NBA players who have circled round two/three but never gotten over the hump, with both analytics and film nerds loving him.
Mina Kimes states she would prefer Brock Purdy over Caleb Williams for a full season, but would rather have Williams if down 10 with 8 minutes left, suggesting Williams has higher ceiling/upside but Purdy is more reliable for sustained performance.