Here’s what Bengals fans should be thankful for this holiday season

There are some things Bengals fans should be thankful for — even at 0-11.

It might be easy to scoff at the idea of being thankful for anything when it comes to the Cincinnati Bengals this year.

Fair — the team is 0-11 and counting and well into the worst start in franchise history.

But it isn’t all bad. In honor of the holiday spirit, here is everything Bengals fans should be thankful for this year.

Andy Dalton: Forget football for a moment. Here’s Dalton in his first presser after returning from getting benched: “When it first happened, I wanted to be bitter. I didn’t know why it was happening. I knew that God has a plan for me and has a plan for my family and has a plan for my life. I had to trust and believe in that…Why choose to live in bitterness if you don’t have to? Why choose to be negative when you don’t have to?” Other than simply being a great person, the Bengals have had droves of success under Dalton and he’s a franchise leader in plenty of areas. One more touchdown pass and he passes Ken Anderson.

A.J. Green: The injury and absence stink. So does the fact Green doesn’t have an extension in hand. But look around the league. As far as wideouts go, Green is the furthest thing from a diva and it sure sounds like he doesn’t want to leave. Oh, and don’t forget the talent.

Joe Mixon: An enthusiastic vocal leader helping the locker room surge through these tough times? At the age of 23? And he’s talented enough to lead a conference in rushing? Fans might not realize how lucky they are.

Carlos Dunlap: The star end is talented. But his reach goes well beyond swatting passes at the line of scrimmage and always has:

Geno Atkins: Atkins is a rare talent inside 31 other teams would love to roster. Simple enough, right?

The young core: It hasn’t all come together yet, clearly. But it’s hard not to like a foundation consisting of Jonah Williams, Carl Lawson, Sam Hubbard, Jessie Bates, William Jackson and John Ross. It might not look like it right now, but there are worse ways to start a rebuild.

Change: Things are bad record-wise. But be realistic about it — change has happened. There’s a new head coach. Last season, the front office went against its normal behavior and fired a coordinator midseason. This year, it cut a starter just a few months into a three-year extension. For better or worse, Zac Taylor has had complete control of his staff and roster. These are slow, small things, but the gradual change hinting at modernization as an NFL franchise continues.

The draft: With the way things have unfolded on the field, fans are at least set for one incredibly exciting offseason. As of this writing, the franchise has a big lead on the first overall pick. It’s not fun to slog through the season leading to such a scenario, but the slotting could mean a franchise-altering player arrives in just a few months, leading a new rookie class to the team.

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