NFL On Thanksgiving Day: What Should You Be Thankful For?

Thanksgiving is a notable moment for everyone, especially NFL fans. It’s a day to relax, eat, reflect, watch football, and of course, be thankful. In the spirit of the holiday, here’s a compilation of what fans can be thankful for.

Arizona Cardinals: The offense is seemingly ahead of the Bills, according to Football Outsiders DOVA. More than that, the Cardinals have a top 10 defense. This is clearly a sign of improvement for the team.

Atlanta Falcons: Quintorris Lopez Jones now recorded a touchdown. After his first seven games of the season, he now has one in each of his last three. Julio Jones always delivers.

Baltimore Ravens: Everyone was surprised when Norv Turner was appointed as the offensive coordinator. If anything it looked like he won’t gel well with Cam Newton. However, Newton now holds the highest completion percentage of his career at 68.5%. He’s now throwing as far as he ever has while remaining a running threat.

Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals’ future was shaky with Teryl Austin as defensive coordinator. In his first game calling the Bengals defense, Lewis’ unit gave up 403 yards to the Ravens, 265 of which came on the ground. That’s the most rushing yards allowed by the Bengals defense in Lewis’ 16 years as head coach. But that will now change as Marvin Lewis takes Austin out of the picture and steps in as defensive coordinator.

Cleveland Browns: Hue Jackson is no more, but Maker Mayfield looks like the real deal. The Browns are now winning multiple games for the first time since 2015.

Dallas Cowboys: The NFC East is now theirs to lose. This is crunch time for the Cowboys.

Denver Broncos: Last week’s victory over the Chargers may have given the team a lifeline. At 4-6, the Broncos are still in contention for the AFC wild card chase.

Detroit Lions: Last week’s victory over the Panthers keeps the playoffs in sight.

Green Bay Packers: Years of wasting Aaron Rodgers’ prime may come to an end. Head coach Mike McCarthy is on the spot, and it stems in part of a gap between him and Rodgers over how the offense should operate.

Houston Texans: A seven-game win streak is definitely nice. For seconds, the toughest game remaining is against the Colts.

Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck’s form is starting to spike again, Eric Ebron’s redemption tour set up camp in Indiana, and the AFC South remains a stale, winnable division.

Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jaguars will be back better than ever next season.

Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs’ loss to the Rams was a tough one, but they still prove to be the best offensive team in the league. And times today call for a strong offensive line.

Los Angeles Chargers: The loss to the Broncos last week was difficult, but the Chargers have a nice game lined up for them next week with the Cardinals. A win in Week 12 puts them at 8-3 and in front for a wild card bid.

Los Angeles Rams: The Rams beat the Chiefs, which is a good sign, and will most probably face the Saints again. But make sure that it’s in front of your crowd this time around.

Miami Dolphins: Ryan Tannehill is healthy again, and whatever most fans think of him as a starter, he’s still miles ahead of Brock Osweiler.

Minnesota Vikings: Kirk Cousins’ contract expires after 2020, and Case Keenum returned home anyway. And no matter what, the Minneapolis Miracle is always there.

New England Patriots: Humility is a trait displayed by the Patriots this season. It’s not often that the team get so easily left out of the conversation for one of the best franchises in the league.

New Orleans Saints: The Saints now have it all. Their current standing is miles better from the 7-9 Saints a few years back and stuck in salary cap hell.

New York Giants: In a testing season, there’s still plenty of life in this team. Odell Beckham Jr. and Saquon Barkley are doing well. Together, they’ll be the cure for a fantastic offense in the near future.

New York Jets: The Jets’ defense is close to closing down opponents on third downs with a 31.3 success rate. That’s more than satisfactory for third best in the league.

Oakland Raiders: Plenty of draft picks to look forward to for the Raiders next season.

Philadelphia Eagles: The defending Super Bowl champs are still looking good.

Pittsburgh Steelers: The Le’Veon Ball fiasco is now history, and his absence doesn’t seem to affect the team at all. James Conner filled the gaps pretty well. He’s got 1,207 yards from scrimmage, 10 rushing touchdowns, and a cap-friendly contract.
San Francisco 49ers: Times are trying without Jimmy Garoppolo, but Kyle Shanahan’s out-of-this-world knack for turning anonymous backups into temporary NFL starters is something all 49ers fans should be thankful for.

Seattle Seahawks: Russell Wilson is now the team’s centerpiece after his astonishing performances lately.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: When FitzMagic is at its best, it works well and entertaining at the same time.

Tennessee Titans: However the season will pan out for the Titans, remember that this team took down the Patriots by 24. Nobody’s beaten the Patriots by 24 or more points since September 2014.

Washington Redskins: Colt McCoy’s now plays the starting quarterback, and that will suffice. If Alex Smith proved anything it’s that quarterbacks in their 30s still have plenty of fight in them.