For many, Thanksgiving week is a time for reflection, for filling houses with the smell of sweets and spices, and seeing loved ones.

As you are wrapped warmly in the slightly musty embrace of your grandma, as your uncle inspects the roasting turkey through the oven door and harrumphs, you brace yourself.





Because you know what is coming next. It’s the most timeless Thanksgiving tradition of all.

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“So, are you married yet? Seeing anyone special?”

Or...

“Seems like it’s about time for you two to start having a few kiddos, eh?”

Or...

“What’s going on with those Carolina Panthers?”

But not to worry. Instead of escaping into your wine glass this year when the questions start coming, I have prepared a Thanksgiving survival guide.

I cant help you with the questions about marriage or kids, but here’s how to talk to your relatives about the Carolina Panthers.

‘So, wow, what happened to your Panthers last week at Detroit?’

Do: Take a deep breath as you turn to Grandpa Frank. State the facts of the 20-19 loss: The Panthers had at least five dropped passes, missed a go-ahead two-point conversion, missed a field goal and extra point, and gave up two deep passes (including one that got flagged for a hold), with the latter of the two ultimately the game-winning touchdown.

Mistakes like that are unacceptable for a team with this much talent on both sides of the ball, and the Panthers know it.

Don’t: Roll your eyes and mimic his question back to him in a high-pitched voice.

‘You think something’s wrong with Cam Newton’s shoulder?’

Do: Remind Aunt Polly that Newton is throwing the ball better than he has in his career, with a 68.4 completion percentage and a 20 to 6 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

She will interrupt you to ask whether Newton not throwing deep as much as he has previously in his career is a sign that his shoulder is hurting.

You might take this time to remind her that the best deep ball-thrower in 2017, Alex Smith, still only had a 54 percent success rate. A low percentage of success is actually the opposite of what Panthers’ offensive coordinator Norv Turner wants to achieve in his offense, which offers intermediate and checkdown routes to receivers that can create extra yards after the catch to move the ball downfield quickly and explosively.

You might also point to the Panthers’ most recent game, against Detroit, during which Newton unfurled passes of 20-plus yards five times. Three were dropped, and one resulted in an interception when receiver Curtis Samuel lost out on a contested catch.

She will then try to say, “Well, why isn’t he running as much? He only had two carries against Detroit.”

To which you might remind Aunt Polly that with 77 carries through 10 games this season, Newton’s 7.7 carries-per-game average is actually higher than his career 7.6 carries-per-game average.

This would not be a good time to ask Aunt Polly what she’s getting you for Christmas.

Don’t: Turn to Aunt Polly and yell, “What’s wrong with YOUR shoulder?!”

‘What’s up with this defense?’

Do: Chat politely with Grandma Sally about the inconsistency Carolina’s defense has had all season. They’ve allowed explosive plays to hurt them in the run and the pass, but especially over the last two weeks. They haven’t consistently hassled the quarterback.

But, add that the Panthers’ defense showed flashes of its old self against Detroit. They stood pat on third down eight times, forcing Detroit to punt. They had six tackles for loss. And they’re still allowing less than 100 yards rushing per game, No. 9 in the NFL.

Don’t: Drink copiously. You’ve got to get through the rest of the evening upright.

‘Where’s the pass-rush, huh?’

Do: Give Cousin Ricky a little bit of a lesson in countering a rush, like teams have done against Carolina this year. For example, after giving up 16 sacks in two weeks, the Lions countered Carolina’s rush by getting the ball out of quarterback Matthew Stafford’s hands quicker than they ever have.

According to NFL NextGen Stats, Stafford was getting rid of the ball in an average of 2.4 seconds per snap, second-fastest in the league for Week 11. Carolina only sacked him one time as he leaned on little dump-off passes to move the ball downfield. The Lions also max-protected Stafford on several throws.

The Panthers will have to adjust in the future by getting better pressure up the middle instead of around the edge, which they did not do effectively on Sunday.

Boy, that will sound fancy over Thanksgiving dinner.

Don’t: Lose sight of this year’s NFL draft, in which the Panthers will almost certainly target a prolific edge-rusher to add juice to a group that simply isn’t getting it done on a consistent basis.

‘Can these guys go all the way?’

Do: Respond logically to third-cousin Steve. If the Panthers can take care of the ball and fix ticky-tack mistakes such as dropped passes, missed kicks and missed tackles, they have a shot at a postseason run. If they have a shot at a postseason run, they need to prove that they can win on the road. Carolina is 1-4 away from home this season, and it’s looking ever-likelier that any potential playoff games will start on the road.

Don’t: Turn on the New Orleans Saints game.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.