Not everything has gone according to plan in the 2023 NFL season. Six different teams have lost starting quarterbacks to serious injuries. At least three have made sudden staffing changes -- two at offensive coordinator, another at head coach. Even the reigning Super Bowl champion Chiefs, while atop their division, are wrestling with frustrating offensive hiccups.
But Thanksgiving is upon us, and Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful. So here's one thing each team can be thankful for:
Arizona Cardinals
A reset probably awaits. When you're 2-9 and getting outscored by more than 90 points over the course of the year, well, it's never too early to look ahead. With two first-round picks in 2024, they might have a legit shot at a top quarterback prospect.
Atlanta Falcons
The defense is making strides. QB is another story entirely, but Jessie Bates and Co. enter the home stretch as a top-10 unit in both total and pass defense, helping the club at least stay competitive.
Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson's been better than advertised. After a weird offseason in which he and Baltimore flirted with a split, only to reconcile under new coordinator Todd Monken, the QB is playing the most efficient football of his career.
Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen just keeps firing. Whether Stefon Diggs is teasing discontent or Ken Dorsey is getting axed, the NFL's best boom-or-bust QB remains a human highlight reel. His 29 total TDs lead all signal-callers and sometimes save this club from itself.
Carolina Panthers
Bryce Young has to go up from here. And by "from here" we mean "after 2023," likely. The No. 1 pick has looked a tick or three behind NFL speed while surrounded by middling weapons. Will he also have a more creative staff soon?
Chicago Bears
The resources will be there to restock (again). Last offseason was supposed to be their big spending spree, and it kind of was. But regardless of Justin Fields' future -- and the QB has again flashed his immense talent between injuries and critical giveaways -- Chicago could end up with a pair of top-10 picks in the 2024 draft.
Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow can rest up for real. Obviously his loss is going to sting until the final buzzer on the season. But after such a medical roller coaster, it'll be good for the franchise QB to truly heal and hopefully enter 2024 refreshed for a title bid.
Cleveland Browns
Jim Schwartz is that dude. More accurately, Cleveland already had premium talent on "D," and their new coordinator has helped them turn it up a notch. Without his unit suffocating opponents, their QB carousel might've already sunk them.
Dallas Cowboys
Adversity hasn't ruined them. Not yet, at least. Widely written off as pretenders after a big loss to the 49ers in Week 5, Dallas has since gone 4-1, with the sole loss coming in a shootout with the 9-1 Eagles, and is getting MVP-level play from QB Dak Prescott. As always, they have the talent to make noise. Let's see if they can keep it up against contenders.
Denver Broncos
Clutch Russell Wilson is back. At least in glimpses. After a horrendous 1-5 start in which the QB was just OK for Sean Payton, he's helped spearhead back-to-back last-minute wins with perfect precision throws. All of a sudden Denver is 5-5 and feisty.
Detroit Lions
They're not just talented; they're resilient. We all expected Dan Campbell's squad to be better in 2023, especially the way they finished 2022. But they didn't sink their heads after a drubbing at the hands of the Ravens in Week 7, and they've survived some real scrap-fests with teams like the Chiefs and Chargers along the way.
Green Bay Packers
The youth movement is growing. Jordan Love may or may not be the long-term answer at QB, but he's at least taken recent strides airing the ball out late. And Matt LaFleur has found ways to incorporate the speed of weapons like Jayden Reed.
Houston Texans
C.J. Stroud. What more needs to be said? Coach DeMeco Ryans is certainly deserving of praise as well, finally giving Houston a long-term leader. But when you can strike gold on drafting a QB, well, that helps a ton. Stroud has shown the composure, pocket presence and gunslinging authority of a 10-year veteran while vying for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Indianapolis Colts
Shane Steichen is maximizing a makeshift situation. Losing dynamic rookie QB Anthony Richardson after less than four full games, the rookie head coach still has Indy at .500, making real contributors out of guys like Zack Moss and Josh Downs.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The standard has been raised. Even at 7-3, Trevor Lawrence and Co. feel like an unfinished product, which is a testament to the program shift that Doug Pederson has overseen in just 1.5 seasons on the job. If they can fire on all cylinders with their weapons, you're talking about another postseason run, this time perhaps as more than just a spoiler.
Kansas City Chiefs
The defense is showing up. Patrick Mahomes playing Superman can only save you so many times when your only reliable pass target is Travis Kelce, who's been hobbled and not entirely himself as it is. So thank goodness for Steve Spagnuolo's unit, which has enabled K.C. to remain atop the AFC West with serious pressure in the trenches and physicality on the back end.
Las Vegas Raiders
Antonio Pierce has rewoven the locker room. Yes, already. In just three games as the replacement for Josh McDaniels, the former Giants linebacker has clearly loosened up stars like Davante Adams, while keeping Vegas competitive.
Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert isn't crumbling amid the noise. He isn't necessarily elevating the team as much as he could, either, but considering how edgy coach Brandon Staley's been after waves of crunch-time defeats, at least the franchise QB is still putting the ball where it needs to be, as he did late against the Packers.
Los Angeles Rams
They're actually hanging in ballgames. Which is a lot more than might've been said during the offseason, when they were more content unloading big names than collecting them. Who knows if Matthew Stafford can remain upright behind their line, but between Kyren Williams and Puka Nacua, they've had enough youngsters step up to keep Sean McVay interested.
Miami Dolphins
Tua Tagovailoa's breakout wasn't a fluke. The QB still has big-game hurdles to clear, but when healthy since the start of 2022, he's clearly been a top-five precision passer. His numbers during that span: 46 TDs, 16 INTs and a 15-8 record.
Minnesota Vikings
Josh Dobbs. Once Kirk Cousins went down in Week 8, all hope seemed lost, especially with Justin Jefferson already banged up. No one could've predicted how seamlessly Dobbs would emerge as the emergency fill-in; his scrambling, in particular, coupled with Brian Flores' aggressive defense, has Minnesota poised to make a wild-card push.
New England Patriots
The end of the broken regime could be near. Bill Belichick will forever be a Patriots and NFL legend. But it just hasn't gone swimmingly since Tom Brady's exit, and things have hit rock bottom multiple times this year. A reset at QB, coach and/or general manager feels likelier by the week, and the 27-33 mark since 2020 would probably justify it.
New Orleans Saints
The NFC South is bad (again). Low-hanging fruit, perhaps, but as long as Dennis Allen's defense remains stingy, New Orleans should have a shot to outpace the equally mediocre Falcons (4-6) and Buccaneers (4-6) for a potential home playoff game (!).
New York Giants
This year's struggles could force a reevaluation of 2022's breakout. In other words, while Daniel Jones has already been rewarded for his debut under Brian Daboll, it's already clear that investment may have been misguided. Better yet, perhaps the crumble back to Earth will finally convince team brass it's time to add legit O-line and receiving help.
New York Jets
They might've accidentally put themselves out of further misery. At 4-6, making an inexplicably late decision to demote Zach Wilson once again, the Jets are "not dead" according to Aaron Rodgers, but it might be better for all parties if Rodgers delays his own comeback until 2024, when hopefully New York has finally opted to address its own OL and WR holes.
Philadelphia Eagles
They refuse to lose. Cliche and simple, yes, but how is it that this team consistently fails to play a complete, balanced game and yet always, inevitably, comes up big when it counts? That's been the theme with Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts since 2022, and now Sean Desai's defense is joining the show as a crunch-time deliverer.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Mike Tomlin finally recognized the offensive ineptitude. He took sole responsibility for axing coordinator Matt Canada ahead of Week 12. It might not save QB Kenny Pickett and a stale, old-fashioned unit. But it at least shows a willingness to improve.
San Francisco 49ers
Brock Purdy is the real deal. Skeptics were quick to hound him for an October slump that was really just a couple of poor late-game throws under pressure. But the former Mr. Irrelevant has been close to automatic as Kyle Shanahan's point guard since arriving on the scene as a rookie. At 23, he's wired more like a seasoned vet.
Seattle Seahawks
The cornerback duo is built for the future. It's anyone's guess if Geno Smith and Pete Carroll can engineer another playoff bid, but Tariq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon certainly give the "D" hope for the long haul.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield has exceeded expectations. It's not that the ex-Browns and Panthers castoff has been a world-beater. But he's mostly controlled the ball while still attacking superior foes, enabling the Bucs to hang around in a post-Tom Brady world.
Tennessee Titans
The shift into the future has begun. Will Levis doesn't have the line or weapons to warrant a proper evaluation as the new QB, but at least Ryan Tannehill's demotion has signaled this club is ready to reckon with the necessity of an overhaul.
Washington Commanders
Sam Howell is a fun watch. A frustrating one, too, at times, but if Ron Rivera is truly on his last legs as the coach under new management, well, the young QB deserves credit for giving so much gusto with such a massive workload week in and week out.
