3 things to be thankful for during a rather dreadful NFL season

While this season hasn't been the most satisfying campaign NFL fans have been subjected to, Thursday is Thanksgiving in the United States, which should give everyone a chance to reflect on what they're thankful for this year.

It's pretty easy to come up with a list of things we're not so thankful for from the 2017 season:

• Ezekiel Elliott's lengthy, confusing court battle
• Politics infiltrating football
• Declining ratings
• Colin Kaepernick going unsigned
• Aaron Rodgers injured
• Deshaun Watson injured
• Odell Beckham Jr. injured
• J.J. Watt injured
• Like 50 more Pro Bowl-quality players injured
• Thursday Night Football still exists
• Browns still super sad to watch
• Jerry Jones complaining about everything
• Only 4-5 teams playing like believable Super Bowl participants
• Donald Trump causing division in NFL

With that said, let's keep things on a positive note this holiday and take a look at what we've enjoyed from the year so far.

Better Broadcasts

All the NFL really had to do to improve its televised product was take Phil Simms off the air. But replacing him with the refreshing, smart, and enthusiastic style of Tony Romo has been a home run.

As long as you can get over some fans and media fawning over every little thing he points out, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback's broadcasts have been a treat this season, highlighted by Romo translating his knowledge into pre-snap predictions.

Broadcasts have also begun to use different camera angles, particularly the SkyCam. Several prime-time matchups have seen the use of Madden-like game views that have broken up the monotony of the same broadcast-booth angle on every play.

With ratings dipping for various reasons, it's been nice to see some innovations. Hopefully it's a sign of things to come.

Fun Celebrations

The NFL implemented a rule change that actually worked out positively from the get-go.

Allowing players the freedom to celebrate (with some general guidelines) was a great move for the league from a public relations standpoint as officials have kept their flags in their pockets for most celebrations.

Players have gotten extra creative, channeling their favorite childhood games, busting out their favorite dances, and crossing into other sports to express their excitement for making a big play.

Related: Best NFL group celebrations through 1st half of season

After seeing the success with allowing players to get creative and have fun, hopefully the NFL will be comfortable loosening the leash even more in the future.

New generation of QBs

The losses of Rodgers, Watt, and Beckham have created room in the spotlight for younger stars to step up, and they have not disappointed, particularly the quarterbacks.

As the league's longtime leading quarterback crew of Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, and Philip Rivers ages, we've become acquainted with the faces that will be ushering in the next generation of talent.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

Carson Wentz, 24, has emerged as the leading MVP candidate and has kept the Eagles atop the NFL through 11 weeks. Jared Goff, 23, has resurrected the Rams' offense, matching their 2016 production by the halfway point of 2017. Dak Prescott, 24, has had his issues playing behind a banged-up offensive line after an outstanding rookie season, but he's made it clear that his first year wasn't a fluke.

Perhaps the most exciting young passing talent has been 22-year-old Deshaun Watson, who was leading the league in touchdown passes before going down with an ACL tear - but let's be thankful he'll be back lighting up the field in years to come.