The NFL season has reached its halfway point, making this a good time to take stock of the league. Some teams and players have outperformed expectations, while others have fallen short. Here are six of the biggest surprises so far.
Cleveland Browns
Few expected the Browns to be in this position. Before the season, they were grouped among the teams likely to contend for the top pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. Cleveland has two first-round picks next spring: its own and one acquired from the Rams in the Myles Garrett trade.
At 5-4, though, both picks currently sit in the middle of the first round. The Browns are just outside the playoff field, behind New England on a conference-record tiebreaker, but they’re still very much in the race. Their own pick would be No. 16 right now, with the Rams’ selection at No. 18.
There are reasons to be cautious. Cleveland ranks near the bottom of the league in offensive and defensive expected points added, and most of its wins have come against teams with losing records: Tampa Bay, Carolina, Baltimore and Tennessee. The Browns did beat Pittsburgh in Week 4, at least.
Still, this is a much better start than anyone expected.
New York Giants
The Giants weren’t expected to be a contender, either. Before the season, they were placed in the “Works in Progress” tier. Yet at 5-2-1, they would currently enter the playoffs as NFC East champions.
What makes that record more surprising is who New York has been without. Starting quarterback Jaxson Dart went down with an injury early in the season, while running back Cam Skattebo was inactive for the Giants’ Week 9 win over Philadelphia. Both were expected to be important pieces of the offense.
The schedule gets harder from here, with games against Jacksonville, San Francisco and Seattle still to come. A Week 17 matchup with Dallas could also decide the division.
Even with those challenges ahead, New York has been one of the league’s biggest surprises.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars have played like one of the NFL’s top teams through nine weeks. They lead the league with a point differential of plus-108, more than 100 points ahead of the field’s threshold and 29 better than second-place San Francisco. Jacksonville also tops the league in turnover margin at plus-9, and its expected-points numbers put it among the NFL’s best.
The defense got another boost this week when the team acquired Jessie Bates III.
There are still some caveats. Jacksonville has lost to Denver and Houston, and Denver could be a playoff opponent. Some of the Jaguars’ biggest wins came against Cleveland, Indianapolis and Baltimore, while New England was in the middle of a difficult stretch for quarterback Drake Maye when Jacksonville faced it.
Even so, the Jaguars look far stronger than the “playoff-caliber” team many expected before the season.
Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota has a defense that looks capable of carrying a Super Bowl contender. The problem is the offense, especially at quarterback, where plenty of questions remain.
That defense has helped make the Vikings one of the season’s surprises. Few people expected them to make a serious playoff push. One exception was James Dator, who wrote in June that Minnesota was poised to make waves and praised defensive coordinator Brian Flores for getting the most out of his players.
So far, that assessment looks pretty good. Now the Vikings need to find some answers on offense. Maybe Kirk Cousins can help.
Emmett Johnson, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Johnson, a fifth-round pick from Nebraska in the 2026 draft, has found an interesting role in Kansas City’s offense. He gives the Chiefs a burst of speed out of the backfield and complements Kenneth Walker III.
Through the first half of the season, Johnson has carried 26 times for 111 yards and a touchdown, averaging 4.3 yards per attempt. His impact has been even greater as a receiver: 14 catches for 237 yards and a touchdown, or 16.9 yards per reception. A 73-yard touchdown against Denver helped drive that average up.
If Kansas City keeps looking for ways to generate explosive plays, Johnson could see his role grow.
Zakee Wheatley, S, Carolina Panthers
Wheatley was also a fifth-round selection, taken by Carolina at No. 151 after playing at Penn State. He has made his presence felt in the secondary, recording 27 tackles and a forced fumble. In Week 8, he also picked off Jordan Love.
His playing time dipped last week against Denver, in the first game with Todd Walsh serving as interim defensive coordinator. That’s something to keep an eye on. Still, Wheatley has been one of the more unexpected bright spots of the season.
