In keeping with the spirit of the season, the NFL has stuffed our stockings full and left us wondering just what it can do for an encore.

That will play out in time. For now, let's digest the myriad things we're thankful for through the first 15 games.

  • The infusion of precocious quarterbacks. For all the talk about the quarterbacks from the 1983 draft class -- John Elway, Jim Kelly, Dan Marino among them -- the 2012 crop has the potential to be remembered just as fondly, if not more so.

    Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson guided their teams to the playoffs, and Robert Griffin III has the Redskins on the brink of the posteason, discrediting the belief that it takes several years for a quarterback to succeed in the NFL.

    Luck, Griffin III, Wilson, Ryan Tannehill and Brandon Weeden have combined for 41 wins so far and turned on its head the thinking that free agency is the better route to find instant success with a quarterback.

  • The rebirth of Adrian Peterson. A little more than a year ago, there was legitimate concern that Peterson's days as an elite running back had ended when he suffered torn ligaments in his left knee.

    Instead, Peterson returned sooner than expected

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    ... and with a vengeance. He is 102 yards away from becoming only the seventh player to rush for 2,000 yards in a season, and he is doing it at an astonishing 6 yards a pop.

  • Calvin Johnson's record-setting season. In an otherwise forgettable season for the Lions, Johnson is stamping his mark as one of the all-time great receivers.

    Johnson already has broken Jerry Rice's single-season record for most receiving yards in a season (1,848). He has 117 receptions and 1,892 yards, with a realistic shot at doing the unfathomable: amassing 2,000 yards.

  • Manning, part II. Quarterback Peyton Manning resurfaced after missing the 2011 season and undergoing four surgeries to repair his neck. Like Peterson, he returned with a bang.

    Manning spent his first 14 NFL seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, but he was forced to find another team when the Colts opted to go with Luck.

    He has guided the Denver Broncos to 10 straight victories and a spot in the AFC playoffs. In the process, he has posted his second-best figures in touchdowns (34) and completion percentage (68.1), his third-best passer rating (103.7) and is 346 yards shy of passing for the most yards in his illustrious career (4,700).

  • Colts head coach Chuck Pagano and interim coach Bruce Arians. Pagano gave way to Arians on Sept, 26, when Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia.

    At the time, the Colts were 1-2 and seemed headed for a second straight losing season. Instead, the Colts rallied around Arians and won nine of their 12 games before Pagano returned Monday.

    Now, Pagano's cancer is in remission after three rounds of chemotherapy, and the Colts are headed to the playoffs and Arians is a strong candidate for coach of the year.

  • There's more than one reason why teams such as the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars find themselves in a morass.

    In April, the Chiefs had quarterbacks Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn on their roster. But they selected a defensive tackle in the first round and two offensive tackles in the third round, with quarterback Russell Wilson still on the board.

    Worse, the Jaguars selected Cal punter Bryan Anger five picks before the Seahawks snatched up Wilson in the third round.

    Now, the Chiefs and Jaguars are headed into the offseason picking one-two in the 2013 draft, with quarterbacks atop their wish list. Good luck finding a player as dynamic as Wilson.

    Same goes for the Raiders. In 2007, they selected quarterback JaMarcus Russell with the first pick of the draft, despite pleadings from then-coach Lane Kiffin and others for owner Al Davis to take Calvin Johnson, who went No. 2 to the Lions.

    Russell washed out in three seasons. Johnson's play keeps fresh the Raiders' wound from their poor decision.

  • Four teams are a win away from wrapping up jaunts through their division without a loss. The Patriots, Broncos, Texans and Packers are 5-0 against divisional foes. The Chiefs and Lions are the only teams without a win within their division. The Falcons and Seahawks are the only teams with a perfect record at home. They can finish 8-0 with victories Sunday.