CHARLOTTE — As the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet To Come wait in the wings, preparing for their big night this Christmas Eve, the Carolina Panthers are getting to know another spirit, making themselves known this time of year: the Carolina Reaper.

"Like the pepper?" asked quarterback Bryce Young when told of the nickname on Tuesday.

No, not the pepper.

As Young has continued to elevate his game, helping the Panthers double their win total from last season so far and push a handful of divisional leaders to the brink of games, there has been a trail of consequences left in his wake. From coaching changes to quarterback changes to eliminating the Arizona Cardinals from the playoff race — as the Panthers did Sunday with a win — Young and Carolina have forced their opponents into a lot of hard decisions this season.

As such, Young has earned the Carolina Reaper nickname on social media, one that is quickly growing in popularity. Young was Pro Football Focus's highest-graded quarterback in Week 16, as he went 17-26 for 158 yards and two touchdowns through the air, plus another 68 yards and a score on the ground, in route to a 36-30 win that knocked the Cards from the postseason.

Despite the pain he has inflicted on the football field for the past two months, Young's demeanor won't allow him to fully embrace the name.

"I definitely can't control nicknames," Young said. "Reaper is a little like evil, so I don't know. I try not to be evil," he continued to a round of laughs at the pure statement. This is also why, when the second-year passer popped up smiling on Sunday after taking a huge hit — and still delivering a dot to tight end Tommy Tremble through the hit — most of the world saw it as a message to opponents that he couldn't be stopped.

Young just saw it as an instinctual reaction to playing the game he loves.

"I'm not the best at thinking… what's the like, stage thing to do," Young offered. "Like that's not really my thing for the most part, so definitely instinctual.

"We all get hit, that's part of the sport, that's why we have to pads…it was a good play, good hit, so in the moment again, I'm a competitor and just being able to be in that moment and be where I'm at, it's definitely a blessing to be out there."

Feeling the holiday spirit

Dave Canales was all smiles, which is usual, as he stepped to the lectern on Tuesday.

"First of all, Merry Christmas," Canales offered. "I wanted to first just congratulate Chuba Hubbard, NFC Offensive Player of the Week. What an incredible accomplishment and a great season that he's having."

Hubbard was honored by the league on Tuesday, following his performance on Sunday, carrying the ball 25 times for 152 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime.

"Just the example of consistency, of hard work, Panthers football, our style, all that stuff, personified," Canales bragged. "I know if Chuba was up here, he'd be giving all the love to the big boys up front, the tight ends, and the receivers blocking."

Proving his coach true, Hubbard said just half an hour later, "I'm just thankful to be here, thankful for the guys, thankful for the coaches, all of this, so obviously the award has my name, but I feel like we were all deserving of it."

Hubbard and his impact isn't all the coach has to be thankful for this holiday season. For Week 17, the Panthers will travel to Tampa to take on the Buccaneers. It's an opportunity for Canales to return to where he was a coordinator just this time last year and the place that helped him earn the head coaching job with the Panthers.

"It was a great year for the Canales family in Tampa, made a lot of friends," Canales began. "I certainly was a part of a great organization, a lot of support, Todd Bowles giving me the opportunity and a bunch of guys that I really enjoyed going to work with every day, so that part's special.

"I always use gratitude as a grounding force for me, whether it's here, whether it's on the road, and this is just another opportunity to be grateful for opportunities, to be grateful for a lot of people.

"These seasons are long; you go through a lot, you know, and so, for me, I'm sure the overwhelming feeling would just be thankfulness, gratitude, which will just put me right back to our team and what we're working on and focusing on finishing strong."

Reuniting with Ron

Former Panthers coach Ron Rivera was in the house on Sunday, calling the game for national radio. He had a nice moment with fans when shown on the video board to an ovation. Canales said the two didn't get a chance to chat this weekend, but the winningest coach in Panthers history has been encouraging for the current Carolina man in charge.

"Coach Rivera has been so supportive throughout this whole time," Canales shared. "Encouraging, chiming in on watching our games and saying, hey, I see the progress here. I see where you guys are challenging in this area. I see these things. Keep up the good work, you know, and stay consistent with your messaging. Just keep a consistent focus so that the guys have something to lean on. So he's been really encouraging this whole season."

Almost home alone

The Panthers will have Wednesday off to spend Christmas Day with family. They can leave and visit family outside the city, but most will stay in Charlotte, ready to return for a full day of practice on Thursday.

"Yeah, hopefully, guys are just kind of laying low," Canales said. "We got to make sure that our bodies are right for this weekend, especially going down to Tampa, where it's going to be a little warmer down there, so, you know, hoping guys just take advantage of the rest, the day off to connect with family and all that, so, hope that's the plan."

Rookie safety Demani Richardson said most guys will heed their coach's wishes and hang out. However, he'll venture out if Ja'Tavion Sanders's family cooks for the holiday like they did on Thanksgiving.

"I told him if he cooks again, I'm going back over to his house because that food was good," Richardson laughed.

While lying around and resting on Christmas Day, they may watch a holiday movie. Bryce Young admitted his favorite is Polar Express. In the Canales household, the list of films is a bit longer.

"All the "Home Alones," we ran through them, and we're a big "Elf" family as well. So Will Ferrell's is a hit in our household," Canales revealed. "So yeah, we're running through them like crazy right now, especially Lizzy with the kids off of school, so they're going through all the Christmas movies."

Injury updates

Receiver Xavier Legette got some work in during Tuesday's walk-through practice. When the Panthers return to the field Thursday and pick up the pace, they'll see where the rookie stands regarding workload.

"So we'll go day to day with him, but he looked fine moving around today," Canales shared.

There is a possibility Legette—who missed Week 16—could play on Sunday against Tampa Bay.