Gerber: Bryce Young tops the 'nice' list in Panthers' win over the Falcons

By Clark Gerber, WRAL Sports contributor

Santa Claus isn't the only one making a list this week!

Even in the midst of a lost season, the Carolina Panthers played their tails off on Sunday, and pulled out their second win of the season.

Because I'm a sucker for gimmicks, I thought it appropriate to point out who was naughty, who was nice, and who deserves something extra special this holiday season. Let's begin:

Nice: Bryce Young

I was wrong.

I argued last week that the Panthers should sit Bryce Young for the rest of the season, in part, because there was "no upside" to putting him out there, week after week, on an awful team.

On Sunday, Young laughed in my face and showed exactly what the upside is.

The rookie was relaxed (dare I say jolly?) the entire game, despite some miserable weather and a more-than-half-empty stadium.

It was ugly early, for both offenses, but Young didn't press. He kept smiling, he kept projecting confidence and he kept playing efficient, patient football.

(Quick aside: He's also been really impressive scrambling with the ball recently. This 12-yard run in the 3rd quarter was special.)

Then, when his team really needed it, Young showed why he was the number one overall pick.

17 plays. 90 yards. 5/5 including three chunk plays. In the rain. For the win.

That's upside. That's something to build on. That's the number one thing this team needs to end this season -- hope.

I'll say it again, I was wrong.

Naughty: Desmond Ridder

If we're "keeping it a buck," as the kids like to say, the Panthers probably wouldn't have won this game without some help from the Atlanta Falcons.

Let's remember that the Falcons were in scoring range, with a real chance to go up by 8 points, when Desmond Ridder threw an unconscionable interception straight to Xavier Woods.

Credit to Woods for making the catch, but that's a throw you cannot make in the NFL, especially if your name is Desmond Ridder.

Ridder leads the league with six red zone turnovers this season. Nobody else has more than three.

If not for him, the Falcons would probably have at least two more wins to their credit, and this game is one of them.

He may be on the naughty list here, but the Panthers may want to think of sending Mr. Ridder a little something this week. You know, just to say thank you.

Nice: Ejiro Evero

Pop quiz ... Do you know where the Panthers currently rank in opponent yards per game?

Third! In the league!

That's impressive no matter what, but on a 2-12 team, it's practically unheard of.

Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero deserves a lot of credit for keeping the Panthers defense engaged and playing well, despite a rash of early-season injuries and a whole lot of losing.

It's pretty common to see good defenses start to let up late in the season if they're stuck on bad teams. Not the Panthers.

Evero has his unit going as hard as ever, and came with a very good gameplan against the Falcons. Namely, sell out to stop the run and make the quarterback beat you.

Apart from one long pass play, Carolina held Atlanta to 148 yards on 50 plays.

Nice: Panthers front seven

Of course, Evero's gameplan wouldn't have worked if the Panthers' front seven wasn't dominating the line of scrimmage.

Carolina had a decided advantage in the trenches on Sunday, as they held Atlanta to just 1.7 yards per carry, with 6 tackles for a loss.

Frankie Luvu led the team with 10 tackles. Derrick Brown keeps playing at a Pro Bowl level. Meanwhile, Nick Thurman and Yetur Gross-Matos played perhaps their best games of the season.

Just look at this third-down stop in the second quarter. The Panthers won every matchup along the line of scrimmage and left the Falcons no chance of even sniffing the first down.

That's just a taste of what this group was able to do on Sunday. They definitely deserve their flowers.

Nice: Chuba Hubbard and the receivers (!)

Don't look now, but Chuba Hubbard may have played his way into "bell cow" status.

The Panthers leaned on the third-year back early and often on Sunday. And although his stats weren't eye-popping, he delivered what the team needed -- a physical presence who churned out positive yardage and didn't fumble.

It's an awkward situation for Miles Sanders for sure, but Chuba has shown that he's a keeper.

Speaking of keepers, I'm not sure there are many in the Panthers receiving corps this year, but they showed out against Atlanta.

Two drops in the pouring rain (both by Adam Thielen which is a shocker), and they made some great plays for Bryce Young on that final drive.

None bigger than DJ Chark's 18-yard tip-toe grab that got the team into scoring range. Where has that been all season?

Ihmir Smith-Marsette also deserves a special shoutout for apparently filling the Laviska Shenault role in the offense.

ISM played a key part in the Panthers' first two field goal drives and finished with 31 yards on four carries.

With Sanders once again a non-factor, Smith-Marsette could fill in moving forward as the alternative to Hubbard's downhill style. Good for him.

Naughty: Bijan Robinson

As somebody who may or may not have featured him in a Daily Fantasy lineup this week, Bijan Robinson was a massive disappointment for Atlanta in this game. Perhaps even more than Ridder.

The Falcons spent the eighth overall pick on Robinson this April. And in a must-win game for their playoff hopes, he gave them 7 carries for 11 yards, 1 catch for 3, and a crippling fumble that essentially gifted Carolina three points.

He was terrible. Unrecognizable from the electrifying rookie that cooked the Panthers in Week 1.

What happened?

If Carolina is going to send Ridder a present, they should spare a thought for Bijan too... and maybe head coach Arthur Smith. Still not sure why that guy doesn't give the ball to his best athletes more often. But I digress ...

Nice: Eddy Pineiro

Eddy has been nice and steady since joining the Panthers last season.

If you throw out his ridiculous 59-yard attempt at Chicago, Pineiro is 24/27 on field goals this season and went a perfect 3/3 on Sunday in adverse conditions.

His game-winner was another chip shot, but it was confidently taken. Panthers fans can breathe easy when Eddy comes out to win the game, and that's certainly worth something.

Nice: The fans who stayed

These brave souls, I believe, actually deserve something big this Christmas.

Not from Santa, but from David Tepper himself.

The weather was beyond miserable on Sunday. It was super rainy, it was cold, it was windy. Nobody wanted to go (clearly).

There weren't many of them, but the Panthers fans who did come out to support their (at the time) 1-12 football team, in these conditions, should get free tickets to a game of their choosing next season.

And preferably good seats.

The dismal attendance on Sunday was an embarrassment to the franchise and to Tepper. It's about the strongest indicator possible that Panther fans are fed up with this team and, perhaps even worse, starting to become apathetic.

Tepper is quickly rising the ranks of most hated owners in the NFL. He needs good PR, and what better way to do it than to reward your fan base's most loyal members?

You can do it, Mr. Tepper. You have the technology, you have the money, and right now you have the need.

Thank yous on social media are nice, but actual gifts are better.

Happy Holidays!