Molly Report Womens C.J. Anderson Jersey , where winning in the trenches is all that matters. Before we begin, we open with the reciting of our usual motto:In the spirit of Mr. Gettleman’s words (regardless of him having moved on) and the philosophy of building a team from the inside out, my goal will be to watch the hog mollies each game during the season and give them a grade based on their performance. This week we will look at the win where the Panthers snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against the New York Giants to improve to 3-1 on the season following their early bye week. This game was very much a mixed bag for the two lines. The offensive line continues to play at a higher level than expected, while the defensive line (and defense in general) are decidedly underwhelming.Offensive Hog MolliesYards per Carry: 3.8, season: 5.0 (T-3rd, NFL)Yards per Play: 5.3, season: 5.6 (18th, NFL)Sacks allowed: 1, season: 7 (T-6th, NFL)Third downs converted: 4 of 13 or 31%, season: 39% (21st, NFL)Rating: 4 out of 5 Holy Hog-a-moliesThe Carolina Panthers did not lose the game on offensive line play, which continues to be refreshing given what we expected. We ran the ball in chunks against the Giants but then also had many runs for no gain or negative yards. From where I was sitting Womens Da'Norris Searcy Jersey , we got predictable, and it was easy for the Giants to stuff certain plays. I can’t really put that much on the linemen. There were only a few pressures, but they came at inopportune times, one of which led to an interception for which I’m not sure if Ian Thomas or Cam are most at fault. Of all our linemen, Trai Turner in his first game back post-concussion had the worst day. I don’t expect that to be the case very often.Here’s a very brief sack report:1st Sack: Q4 2:32, 2nd & 9, NYG 16 - The only sack of the game was not at a great time, and not really a traditional sack either. The Panthers are trying to get the play going right and Cam Newton rolling left with a couple tight ends sneaking out of the formation. The problem is Chris Manhertz does an awful job of it and Connor Barwin reads the play perfectly. Cam loses 5 yards before the play can get off the ground. This is something better suited for when Greg Olsen returns.The game got close because we decided to get predictable and/or get ourselves penalized at the absolute worst times. It also was not a great effort from the defense, which I will touch on in a minute. In general though, we have to be pleased with the continued good play of this banged up offensive line. Kudos to Chris Clark for just a single pressure on the day, and definitely to Greg Van Roten and Taylor Moton for pitching a shut out.Defensive Hog MolliesYards per Carry: 3.1, season: 4.6 (24th, NFL)Yards per Play: 8.2 Youth Donte Jackson Jersey , season: 6.5 (27th, NFL)Sacks given: 1, season: 9 (T-23rd, NFL)Third down allowed %: 0 of 7 or 0%, season: 31% (5th, NFL)Rating: 3 out of 5 SnortsicklesThe numbers continue to not be very good for the Carolina Panthers defense as a whole, and some of that can certainly be attributed to the defensive line. That said, the New York Giants had a pretty good gameplan in the second half to keep the pressure off Eli Manning. They continued to get the ball out fast, but anytime they did go to a longer developing play, they went max protect and let their skill players do the work against extra coverage. Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard, and Saquon Barkley all rose to that challenge. I hate to say it, but Mike Shula was the better offensive coordinator on the day Color Rush David Mayo Jersey , and made the better halftime adjustments. Like Kelvin Benjamin, this was probably his meaningless Super Bowl.In the first half, pressure was good. Manning’s “give up” sack was a defense mechanism to staring down a Luke Kuechly gun barrel after his offensive line got mauled off the snap. Efe Obada won on a bull rush a few plays later nearly forcing a strip sack, Eli got his arm forward just in time. Mario Addison also broke free twice forcing incompletions. After halftime though, the Giants had a plan and executed it. You have to hand it to them, it was nearly enough. Julius Peppers finally had an impact game, shutting down the run all day and nearly getting Manning a couple of times. We still await his first sack, however.Hog Molly of the Week: Cam NewtonIn the absence of great play from a true Hog Molly, I’d like to highlight a man who certainly exhibited the spirit of a buffet buster. Cam Newton is without a doubt a large gentleman... but this ain’t supposed to happen:D.J. Moore also ran like a grown man on this play, but Cam Newton sprung it with that block on a DEFENSIVE END. Wow.That play aside, Cam Newton also trucked his way to a couple of first downs, visibly wanting to hit someone after being involved in a bit of dirty play by the Giants on an early game tackle. The desire to deliver, instead of take hits Youth Trai Turner Jersey , is the way of the hog. Well done Cameron. Through five games Devin Funchess is averaging 4.6 receptions and 62.4 receiving yards per game, both of which are career-highs for the fourth-year wide receiver. If Funch can stay on this pace for the rest of the year his 16-game season totals will be 73 receptions for 998 yards. For the sake of easy math, let’s round up and say Devin ends the season with 75 receptions and 1,000 yards. Crossing this 75-1,000 threshold would put Funchess among the most productive receivers in the game. Per Football Reference, in 2017 only 10 wide receivers had at least 75 receptions and 1,000 receiving yards, including some of the game’s elites:WRs with 75+ rec & 1,000+ yards, 2017PlayerTeamGRecYdsTDPlayerTeamGRecYdsTDConsidering Funchess is still only 24 years old and plays for a run-oriented Panthers team (Carolina’s ranks 21st in pass attempts per game this year), it’s impressive to see him on this statistical trajectory. Advanced metricsWhile traditional stats are a solid measure for wide receiver production, it also helps to see what the eggheads who grind out advanced stats think. Through Week 5, Pro Football Focus ranks Funchess at the No. 27 receiver in the league and gives hims a rating of “Good.” Football Outsiders comes to a similar conclusion while using a different approach. The primary metric used by Football Outsiders to judge wide receivers is called DYAR http://www.authenticscarolinapanthers.com/cheap-mario-addison-jersey , or Defense-Adjusted Yards Above Replacement. Per their website, DYAR “gives the value of the performance on plays where this WR caught the ball, compared to replacement level, adjusted for situation and opponent and then translated into yardage.” Football Outsiders also ranks Devin Funchess as the No. 27 receiver in the NFL in terms of DYAR. I’m not exactly sure what the perfect definition of a “No. 1 receiver” is, but based on these metrics Devin Funchess would be the best wide receiver for a handful of NFL teams, which is exactly what he is for the Carolina Panthers. Anecdotal evidence from the Washington gameFunch showed his No. 1 receiver chops on two separate plays against Washington. Both plays displayed his maturity as a route runner and his ability to channel the physical gifts found within his 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame. The first reception came on a second quarter touchdown. Funchess was split wide left and ran a beautiful route by faking an inside post then cutting out for a corner. Quinton Dunbar was in man coverage and bit on the inside move, allowing Funch to get some separation but Cam Newton underthrew the pass. Devin adjusted by slowing down, turning back toward the ball, then leaping up and over Dunbar to haul in the catch. Funchess physically dominated Dunbar like a mean older brother bullying a much younger and smaller sibling.The second reception highlighting his No. 1 receiver credentials was when he manhandled Josh Norman on a clutch fourth quarter reception. Funch ran a simple deep post with Norman in man coverage. Cam threw the ball high where Funchess was able to elevate and haul in the reception well above J-No’s reach. In basketball terms, Funchess looked like a power forward dunking on a shooting guard. Both traditional stats and advanced metrics show Devin Funchess is developing into a No. 1 wide receiver, as did his man-sized plays against Washington. Let’s hope the trend continues this week against the Philadelphia Eagles.