"Football is a complex game with many moving parts, and the influence of a star quarterback or a genius head coach only reaches the water's edge. Wins and losses also can be found in the key late sack from a pass rusher; the running game powered by a bolstered offensive line; and the secondary or tertiary target that shines when the primary is double-covered. We call these players X factors."
"No quarterbacks. Every single team will greatly benefit from their quarterback playing well and terribly suffer from their quarterback playing poorly. Some quarterbacks are greater X factors than others: What if Sam Darnold is excellent in Seattle? What if J.J. McCarthy really struggles in Minnesota? But the simple fact is that all quarterbacks are X factors. So none are included on this list."
"No rookies. Again, every rookie has the potential to be a franchise-changing, timeline-altering player. We know so little about the incoming class every year that the biggest surprises in preseason expectation to season reality often are the result of rookie performance. There's another article to be written about the most important rookie for each NFL team (check out our rookie guide this Saturday), but like with quar"
Live NFL regular-season play approaches as 53-man rosters near completion. Football outcomes depend on quarterbacks, coaching and stars, but many other contributors exert outsized influence. X factors are role players whose late sacks, run-blocking or tertiary receiving production can swing games and clarify entire units. Strong X-factor performance can transform a unit; poor performance can make a team one-dimensional and exploitable. The list explicitly excludes quarterbacks because every QB inherently functions as an X factor, and excludes rookies because their unpredictable development often warrants separate evaluation. Evaluating X factors emphasizes experienced contributors who create high-leverage moments.
Read at ESPN.com
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