Welcome once again to the Hog Molly Report, where winning in the trenches is all that matters. Before we begin, we open with the reciting of our usual motto:

“Big men allow you to compete. We're certainly going to look at the big hog mollies.”

In the spirit of Mr. Gettleman’s words, 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 soul crushing loss against the Minnesota Vikings and see where the waffle crunchers went wrong. Then take a look at how they can right the ship again.

Offensive Hog mollies

*Season average in parentheses

Week 3 Yards per carry: 3.8 (4.5, T-6th NFL)

Third down conversions: 6 out of 16, 38% (48%, 6th NFL)

Sacks given up: 8 (12, T-32nd NFL)

Running plays less than 3 yards (not including sacks): 9 on 28 attempts

Rating: 1 Strip of Burnt Bacon

It was one of the ugliest offensive line performances I have ever watched. Make any excuse you want... facing a great defense and pass rush, failure to adjust by the coaches, Cam holding the ball too long, weak tackle play... The fact is, the buck stops here at the offensive line. Cam did not even have a slight amount of time to make a throw after the end of the first quarter, and the help just wasn’t there. The assistance of Jonathan Stewart in the blocking game was sorely missed as well.

But the most glaring weakness continues to be the play of both tackles. Years of not investing a high draft pick at either tackle position is starting to rear its ugly head. The Panthers are going to get beat like a drum against elite speed rushers, unless steps are taken to give them some help.

Defensive Hog mollies

Yards per carry allowed: 2.4 (3.4, T-4th NFL)

3rd Down Conversions allowed: 3 out of 12, 25% (33%, T-6th NFL)

Sacks: 2 (6, T-15th NFL)

Running plays less than 3 yards: 12 on 24 attempts

Rating: 4 out of 5 Boar Barons

The one unit that played decently, but the reality is that they could have done better. The defense as a whole only gave up 14 points, and the front continues to be stout against the run, but the pressure continues to lack. Sam Bradford was harassed fairly well in the first half, but in the second half, there was nary a sack, pressure, or hit to be found. Charles Johnson and Kony Ealy failed to take advantage of a poor pass blocking offensive line missing their franchise left tackle, and I have legitimate concerns about both players going forward.

All that said, the defense is playing well enough to win football games. The offense needs to figure out a way to play against good fronts.

Kelvin Benjamin

0 receptions, 0 yards, 0 touchdowns, -6 points, 2 penalties

Rating: 1 Goose Egg

I wouldn’t have known Kelvin even played on Sunday if not for the crippling penalty he was charged with for an unnecessary block in the back that negated a Fozzy Whitaker touchdown. Say what you will about the call, it was a flaggable offense, and he had no reason to throw that block. The Panthers were never the same after that, and Kelvin easily recorded his worst day as a pro. Time to shake it off and move on.

Hog molly of the Week: Lavar Edwards

The newest hog molly got his first sack as a Carolina Panther, and that was about the most noteworthy performance of the day. The sooner we get to our next game, the better, in my opinion. I am ready to put it behind me now, and I’m sure the team and it’s hogmollies are as well.