Gerber: Even at 1-9, the Panthers have reason to give thanks (seriously!)

By Clark Gerber, WRAL Sports contributor

The Panthers have hit rock bottom. Again.

The worst part about Sunday's 33-10 loss to Dallas is that it wasn't even disappointing. Expectations for this team have dipped so low that a 23-point home blowout (which does not happen often in the NFL) is par for the course.

Make no mistake, this is the worst it's ever been for the Carolina Panthers.

At 1-9, they've already clinched a sixth straight losing season -- the longest streak in franchise history, which just so happens to coincide with David Tepper's time as owner.

There's mounting evidence that Tepper might just be terrible at owning an NFL team, which is the worst news a fan base can possibly get. Just ask the Washington Commanders.

However, the holiday season dictates that we must find things to be thankful for and, believe it or not, there are a few things on the list.

Without further ado, I present (in no particular order) seven things the Carolina Panthers and their fans should be giving thanks for this week:

The team continues to do great work in the community

This might get an eye roll from some of you, and I know it's easy to be cynical, but this is absolutely something to be proud of.

The Panthers have a rich history of star players giving back to the community, and that hasn't gone away despite the current struggles on the field.

Starting center Bradley Bozeman hosted a charity event just this week, which fed hundreds of local families and treated them to some golf as well.

It's nice to know you're rooting for guys who care about doing good. That shouldn't be taken for granted.

Ejiro Evero still has the defense playing hard

As for the on-field stuff, you have to be legitimately impressed with defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero this season.

The Panthers defense has been decimated by injuries all year, especially in the secondary, but Evero still has them playing hard.

Fun fact -- Carolina ranks 31st in points allowed per game (27.5), but 6th in yards allowed per game (308.6).

Sixth!

That tells me that this unit has been put in some truly awful spots by a struggling offense, and just hasn't been able to force enough turnovers to get out of it.

If they can start taking the ball away, and avoid costly penalties that have plagued them in recent weeks, the Panther defense could really start to take off down the stretch.

There's a schedule change in Week 13

In case you didn't hear, the Panthers road game against the Buccaneers next week has been changed from a 1pm start to a 4pm start.

Why does that matter?

Because if the game starts to go south, fans will be able to tune it out and just watch 49ers vs. Eagles instead.

There's no alternative option on that level at 1pm. Scheduling win, baby!

It's the little things that count.

Adam Thielen

I'm pretty sure I've written this before, but I'll say it again -- can you imagine what the offense would look like without Adam Thielen?

The 33-year-old has 76 catches for 726 yards this season. That's more than triple any other Panthers receiver in those categories.

He also remains on pace to shatter Christian McCaffrey's single-season franchise record for receptions.

Carolina could not have possibly dreamed for this kind of production when they signed Thielen in free agency.

He has been the team's single biggest bright spot on offense and it ain't close.

The running game might be kinda back?

When the Panthers have been good, at basically any point in their history, they've had an effective running game.

That was certainly the case during last year's late-season surge. And maybe, just maybe, there are signs that it could happen again this year.

Head coach Frank Reich wasn't wrong when he said Carolina dominated Dallas on the line of scrimmage in the first half on Sunday.

Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders combined for 107 rush yards on more than 5 yards per carry against one of the league's best defenses, and they only slowed down once the game got out of hand.

That's a formula the team can absolutely build on, especially as Bryce Young struggles to find his footing.

The fact that Peyton Manning had a bad rookie year... and Steve Smith too!

Speaking of Bryce Young, he's coming off a season-low in both completions and passing yards, and he threw his third pick-six in as many weeks.

Things are not looking good right now, which is why the Panthers should be thankful that they can point to Peyton Manning as a beacon of hope.

Whenever a rookie quarterback struggles these days, fans are quick to tell you that Manning's rookie stats were terrible too. 28 interceptions, 71.2 passer rating, a 3-13 record "and look how he turned out!"

While it is true that one's performance as a rookie doesn't necessarily indicate how their entire career will turn out, it would sure be nice to see some growth out of Young in these next few games.

Young won't throw as many interceptions as Manning did, but he also won't throw as many touchdowns. Manning had 26 as a rookie, while Young only has 9 so far. That's less than one per game.

While we're playing the rookie hope game, let's put a couple blind resumes out there...

Player A: 10 catches, 154 yards, 0 touchdowns, 8 fumbles

Player B: 24 catches, 226 yards, 0 touchdowns, 0 fumbles

Player A is Steve Smith Sr. his entire rookie year. (8 fumbles, wow!) Player B is Jonathan Mingo through 10 games this year.

Did I just commit blasphemy by comparing Hall of Famer Steve Smith to Jonathan Mingo? Probably. But it made you feel a little better about Mingo's disappointing rookie season, didn't it?

There are winnable games ahead. No really!

You may think I'm crazy for saying this, but the Dallas Cowboys were the last team on the Panthers schedule that they had absolutely zero chance of beating.

In fact, a lot of these are pretty winnable games. No really!

They're at Tennessee this week -- a team that's lost three straight and has scored more than 16 points only three times all season. That game should at least be close.

Then it's three straight divisional opponents -- at Tampa Bay, at New Orleans, home Atlanta. I wouldn't be shocked if all three of those teams finished below .500 this season. The Panthers will be underdogs, but could absolutely beat any other NFC South team.

In Week 16, Carolina hosts Green Bay. They're not very good.

Then at Jacksonville, who has shown through the years that they can lose to absolutely anybody at any time.

And finally, home for Tampa to finish the year. That's not exactly a murderer's row.

Remember, the Panthers have no incentive to pack it in since they don't have their first round pick. And you can bet they will be fighting hard to avoid the embarrassment of gifting No. 1 overall to Chicago.

This is rock bottom, but that also means the only direction to go from here is up!

Bleak as things may be, there are still areas for hope. And that's something we should always be thankful for.