The last week of the NFL season is always interesting. Some team's are fighting to make the playoffs, or trying to get a better seed. But there are other teams where the outcome of the game has no impact.

This year, the Carolina Panthers were one of those teams. They've experienced successive years of failure, despite drafting a highly touted quarterback.

Even though the Panthers couldn't make the playoffs, they ended the season showing signs of life. And in their last game, against a team that needed to win to make the playoffs, they showed a level of fire and effort that took me by surprise. It would be so easy to phone it in, to try enough to avoid scrutiny, and get started on their offseason (probably a trip to Cabo).

Instead, they balled out. Bryce Young looked legitimately good, and when they iced the game you could see the joy and satisfaction on the player's faces.

It makes me think about how I react when things are hard, when things aren't working, when there's technically no point in something i'm striving for. Sure I'm not a professional athlete doing my job on TV and making millions of dollars. But this standard can be held by anyone.

Even during a bad season, you gotta try. And maybe a small win is the start of the next good season.