Jeffri Chadiha chooses one thing each team should be thankful for heading into Week 12 of the 2023 NFL season in this special Thanksgiving edition of The First Read. Check back after Monday Night Football for Chiefs and Eagles commentary.
They will have choices. It’s surprising that the Cardinals aren’t the worst club in football, given that they were eager to take on that role before the season began. Then something weird happened: they competed. In Week 3, they defeated the Dallas Cowboys. After suffering a ruptured ACL in December, quarterback Kyler Murray returned to the field, and they won again in his Week 10 season debut. It’s unclear how Arizona will handle Murray and his enormous deal moving forward, but one thing is certain: this squad is on track to be a top-three pick in next year’s draft. The Cards will be able to make use of it.
Depth. This season, the Ravens have had their fair share of ailments. Even though running back J.K. Dobbins suffered a torn Achilles in Week 1, Baltimore still boasts the best rushing attack in the NFL. The absence of safety Marcus Williams for many games earlier this year allowed Geno Stone to tie for the league lead in interceptions with six. Tight end Mark Andrews will now miss the rest of the season due to a fractured fibula and damaged ankle ligaments. This is a significant hit to the roster. Baltimore, according to history, will find a way to survive.
Their experience with adversity. Buffalo has been crazy lately, with quarterback Josh Allen fumbling again, wide receiver Stefon Diggs having to respond to tweets about the team made by his younger brother, and head coach Sean McDermott abruptly firing offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey (despite the Bills having a top-10 offense). This is also not that out of the ordinary if you’ve been following the Bills in recent years. In 2021, they were 7-6 after losing three of four games before closing the regular season on a four-game winning run. They coped with numerous injuries last year (including the loss of edge rusher Von Miller and safety Micah Hyde, as well as the terrifying near-death episode with safety Damar Hamlin) and still won the Super Bowl.
It’s only the first year. In Carolina, C.J. Stroud spoiled things for Bryce Young. Rookie quarterbacks are expected to struggle, but Stroud has done so little in Houston. Young, on the other hand, has been attempting to figure things out for a 1-9 Panthers club after being taken first overall in this year’s draft. Carolina’s coaching staff has done a lot to try to alleviate that burden, from changing play-callers (head coach Frank Reich is back to doing that after initially delegating that responsibility to offensive coordinator Thomas Brown a few weeks ago) to giving Young a wristband with game plays on it to wear in games. From the outside, does it appear to be a shambles? Sure. Have we not
