In every season of the National Football League (NFL), there’s always one player or another who creeps out of the woodwork and performs to a much higher standard than expected. From the point of view of the fans, this is often a source of pride – and for those Betting online on sports in Pennsylvania, it could mean a financial payout, too. For a team’s coach, it’s a fulfilling and satisfying feeling to see someone come out of their shell so easily. For a team’s owner, meanwhile, the benefit is clear: getting a high return on investment by increasing the value of a player who was relatively cheap at their purchase price is never a bad thing.
This season is no exception – and in fact, it even seems to many pundits as though there’s been a sharp rise in the number of over-performers this season. Everywhere you turn, someone seems to be surpassing all expectations and making fans and coaches alike happy. Here’s a round-up of some of the major players who are smashing their expectations this time around.
Daniel Jones, New York Giants
Last month, the Giants’ Daniel Jones managed to outperform all expectations placed upon him when his team took to the pitch against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. When he was first picked for the 2019 Draft, some pundits were left scratching their heads – and the all-important Giants’ fan base, meanwhile, also expressed some reservations about the decision. But perhaps the mild criticism simply fueled Jones’ efforts because he has now become one of the top players for the team in a matter of just a few short weeks. In his first game for the side, he was partly responsible for the biggest comeback the team had experienced in over 40 years – and he also managed to score four touchdowns in total.
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
No analysis of NFL players who have managed to exceed all expectations would be complete without a look at Patrick Mahomes, the quarterback who is currently playing for the Kansas City Chiefs. The reason? This season is his first ever as a starter for an NFL side, but yet his performance statistics have far surpassed what was expected of him in the run-up to now.
He has managed to score 50 touchdowns so far in the season, and he’s also been able to hit thousands of yards – more so, in fact, than many of his competitors. And he’s also been given the title of home league MVP despite being aged just 23, which sets him aside as perhaps one of the great players in the history of the Chiefs. Where he will go next and what he will do with his skills as the season goes on and the next one begins is waiting to be seen.
Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers
When it comes to the Panthers, Greg Olsen is a name that is very rarely off people’s lips these days – and, indeed, this has been the case for a number of years now. That’s because he is a perpetual underdog: unlike many over-performers, who are often new kids on the block who have just been purchased amid a storm of question marks about whether or not they will make a good investment, Greg Olsen is a long-term player who has been involved with the side for almost 15 years.
The reason he is often described as an over-performer is because he has been beset by injury problems many times. It’s his foot that is the problem, which in turn can severely limit his movement ability. But he’s not stopping, he’s managed to score an average of eight targets in each game so far in this season, and there are high hopes among his teammates and others that he will be able to carry on defending the Panthers’ tight end for a long time to come.
The NFL is full of opportunities to grow and develop as a player, and everything from dedicated coaches to training academies can help players build their skills and perform to greater expectations than had previously been placed on them. As this article has shown, meanwhile, the over-performers in this season’s NFL are clear for all to see – and from Daniel Jones to Greg Olsen, there are players across the league and across the country who just can’t get enough of surging ahead.
