Mina Kimes Has A Different Job at Super Bowl 60 Week

Sunday is the biggest day of the football season, with the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots meeting in Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara. The game has some added meaning for ESPN's Mina Kimes.

In addition to being one of the Worldwide Leader's top NFL analysts, Kimes is also an avowed Seahawks fan. That Seattle, which entered the season with longshot Super Bowl odds, has made it thus far has been a pleasant surprise for Kimes.

“I thought before the season they would have an elite defense and I didn’t know what to make of the offense," Kimes told Men's Journal Monday. "I thought in total it would be kind of similar to last year. I thought it would be a good team, but they were in a division with the Rams, who are kind of the big, bad of the NFC West. And then the Niners, I also thought would be very good, and they were, despite the fact they were unbelievably injured.

"But the success of the team has surpassed my expectations and I think it’s a tribute to a lot of things. The front office did a fantastic job this offseason. They have drafted really well the past few years. The head coach Mike Macdonald was my Coach of the Year this year. I think when you look at his body of work over two years now, it’s pretty remarkable what he’s done in Seattle. I think he deserves a lot of credit for getting them to this spot.”

Super Bowl forecast

So, how does Kimes see Super Bowl LX playing out? Well, she didn't provide an exact score prediction, but it seems like she's leaning toward the Seahawks in a close game.

“My general take on it is while I think the Seahawks are the better team, I think New England’s offense will be better than it has looked in the postseason and I think it’s possible the defense looks a little bit worse because of the competition they’ve faced," she explained. "The offense has gone through an absolute gauntlet. Drake Maye has faced the Chargers, the Texans, the Broncos. Those are all top 10 or better defenses, with one of those games in inclement weather. And then the defense, which has looked fantastic, they’ve also faced two of the worst offensive lines in football and a backup quarterback.

"It’s one of those things where small sample sizes can be misleading and I think for New England in two different directions it’s kind of been a little bit misleading. But I think the game will be closer than people think.”

Kimes has different 'job' this Super Bowl season

While Sunday is all about the action on the field, Kimes has had a new role leading up to the big game as part of Procter & Gamble's ad campaign. Her official title is "Style Strategist," in charge of products like Olay moisturizer and Head and Shoulders shampoo, which she says she personally uses.

One of her "teammates" for the campaign is New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough, who is coming off an impressive rookie year.

"I actually interviewed him last year before his rookie season and found him to be absolutely delightful," Kimes said of Shough. "Then, he had a great season. He actually made my short list for Offensive Rookie of the Year. I’m excited to get to work with him. He’s the captain of our team actually.”

Kimes also shared her thoughts on the ideal Super Bowl spread, simple and classic.

"As far as food goes, I’m a big wings person," she said. "Generally, my overarching feeling about gameday food is it’s your opportunity to eat food you wouldn’t eat normally. So if I’m going to a gameday party, I don’t want food that would be served at a restaurant or dinner party. I want wings, pigs in a blanket, seven-layer dip. It’s your opportunity to eat like a child, quite frankly. That’s my general feel.”

An eye on the future

This year's NFL coaching carousel was a wild one, with 10 franchises hiring new head coaches. Rarely, if ever, has there been a cycle with so many open jobs and so many prominent names available.

Asked which coaching fits she is most intrigued by, Kimes pointed out two in particular.

"I am interested in seeing Jesse Minter who the Ravens hired," she said. "I think he’s excellent and I think that’s a defense that has a lot of talent but hasn’t really come together or it’s been very mixed results the last two seasons. I think he’s very creative. I think he’s really good at developing young players. I’m excited to see how he uses Kyle Hamilton. That would be one I’m interested in seeing.

"I also think Kevin Stefanski in Atlanta is going to surprise a lot of people. I think he’s a really, really good coach and offensive mind. The question there, of course, is who is going to be playing quarterback. But I think he’s going to get the most out of Bijan Robinson, who it’s hard to get more out of than people have gotten already but is capable of more.”