Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the Hog Molly Report http://www.panthersfootballauthentic.co … -authentic , where winning in the trenches is all that matters. Before we begin, we open with the reciting of our usual motto: 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 Carolina Panthers latest loss, blowing a game that they surprisingly really had a chance to win against the New Orleans Saints. Lately, we have not received good play from the offensive line and that trend unfortunately continued. The defensive line has much improved recently and in the second half did enough to help keep the team in the game, but they still struggled to generate four man pressure.Offensive Hog MolliesYards per Carry: 4.3, season: 5.3 (1st, NFL)Yards per Play: 4.7, season: 6.0 (7th, NFL)Sacks allowed: 4, season: 29 (T-7th, NFL)Third downs converted: 7 of 15 or 47%, season: 40% (13th, NFL)Rating: 2 out of 5 Mangled MolliesThe Carolina Panthers continue to regress up front, and it was expected to be a rough day with Marshall Newhouse forced into action at left tackle. Regardless, the amount and frequency of pressure made an already ailing and injured Cam Newton have it that much tougher. Meanwhile, his counterpart in Drew Brees was pretty comfortable most of the first half in the pocket.Here are you pressure counts:And here is another lengthy sack report:12:07 Q1, 2nd & 5, NOR 36- Demario Davis sacks Cam Newton for -10 yards. This one is hard to credit to the offensive line. The Panthers clearly had a screen called Womens Torrey Smith Jersey , and Cam bobbled the shotgun snap which appeared to be good. Trai Turner had turned his man loose as part of the play, but by the time Cam corralled the ball, Davis was in his face.5:42 Q1, 2nd & 8, CAR 44- Alex Okafor sacks Cam Newton for -1 yard. Another technical sack, both tackles did a decent job washing their man out of the back of the play. Cam Newton steps up and starts to scramble, but quickly runs out of room as Okafor pulls back around and Cam kind of runs into Trai Turner a bit. 3:14 Q2, 1st & 10, CAR 23- Cam Newton sacked by David Onyemata for -12 yards. Despite Marshall Newhouse holding Onyemata on the play (and getting flagged for it) he still gives up the pressure and sack.9:42 Q4, 3rd & 7, NOR 49- Cam Newton sacked by Vonn Bell for -9 yards. I’m not sure who messed up here. Greg Van Roten initially blocks Bell and then lets him go, theoretically believing that Christian McCaffrey was behind him to take him, as Van Roten needed to pick up a late blitz by a linebacker. McCaffrey and Van Roten end up both going for the linebacker, and Bell gets a free shot on Cam Newton.Thirteen pressures on 33 attempts is pretty bad, and besides the turnovers, is probably the reason we couldn’t eek out a win here, despite a golden effort by the defense. As usual, the Panthers will go into this offseason with a desperate need at left tackle, amongst others. We’ll see what they can dig up.Defensive Hog MolliesYards per Carry: 4.8 Womens Shaq Thompson Jersey , season: 4.2 (T-10th, NFL)Yards per Play: 5.2, season: 5.8 (20th, NFL)Sacks given: 2, season: 32 (T-25th, NFL)Third down allowed %: 4 of 13 or 31%, season: 40% (19th, NFL)Rating: 4 out of 5 Hallucinogenic HogsThe defensive line had a much better day than we’re used to this season, but the real stars of the game were the men standing behind them. Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis combined for 25 tackles on the day, and the defensive backs were able to limit a very strong New Orleans passing game to zero passing touchdowns. The first half was more of the same from what we’ve seen all season, a lack of pressure when rushing just four. In the second half the Panthers started to dial things up a little more consistently, and affected Drew Brees with the help of good coverage on the back end. Defensive end remains an area of extreme need heading into this year’s NFL Draft.Hog Molly of the Week: Vernon ButlerButler is still nothing like the player he was expected to be when he was selected at the end of the first round several years ago, but this was a good game from him. He ended up with a sack and was able to push the pocket pretty well from the inside in his rotational snaps. I don’t think we’ll ever get the value we hoped for from him as a player, but I do believe he can remain a part of this team’s rotation for a long time if he’ll accept an NFL yeoman’s salary. Those types of guys are needed too, as his running mate Kyle Love can willingly attest. The Carolina Panthers suffered their third straight loss against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. A much needed win for playoff contention, the Panthers fell 30-27. Despite the Panthers’ offense racking up a season-high 475 yards, it wouldn’t be enough to outlast the Seahawks. Cam Newton finished the day completing 24-of-29 passes with 255-yards and two touchdowns. However, on Carolina’s final drive, Graham Gano missed a 52-yard field goal to give the Seahawks the ball back at its 42. Russell Wilson’s 43-yard pass to Tyler Lockett on a 3-and-5 would seal the Panthers’ fate.The 4-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers are coming off a 27-9 win over the not-so-great San Francisco 49ers. The Bucs’ defense was able to get after Nick Mullens Womens Dontari Poe Jersey , sacking him four times. The Buccaneers held Mullens to 221 passing yards, one touchdown, and two fourth-quarter interceptions. Failed red-zone attempts and penalties in the second half would keep the 49ers from outgaining the Bucs. The Panthers may no longer control their own postseason destiny, but a win over their NFC South foe Buccaneers would only help put them on the right path before taking on the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons. Here are three keys for the Panthers’ offense to beat the Buccaneers defense.Maximize red zone opportunities: The Bucs’ defense was able to keep the 49ers out of the red zone in the second half. With the ball placed on the one yard line, Buccaneers were able to stuff running back Matt Breida twice and prevented Mullens from crossing the goal line on a keeper. Red zone woes were a killer for the Panthers against Seattle. Forcing a run game in the red zone left points off the board for Carolina. The Panthers need to have faith in their wide receivers, be smart with Christian McCaffrey, and lose the predictability.Create touches for Curtis Samuel: With Damiere Byrd on injured reserve and a banged up Devin Funchess, Samuel has earned his way to more playing time. For the season, Samuel averages 13.6 yards for carry. He’s also reached the end zone six times this season. There’s been improvement on the Bucs’ defense since the firing of defensive coordinator Mike Smith. In their last three matchups, they’ve held teams to an average 186.7 passing yards and 10 completions out of 30 attempts. Still, secondary isn’t their strong suit, and a speedster like Samuel would help keep the Bucs on their toes.Keep Cam upright: As stated earlier, the Bucs’ defense has continued to improve under defensive coordinator replacement Mark Duffner. Against the Giants and 49ers, they’ve totaled eight sacks. Half of them belonging to defensive ends Jason Pierre-Paul and Carl Nassib. Tampa Bay is on pace to record 42 sacks (their most since 2004). The Buccaneers beat the protection against the 49ers. It’s critical for the Panthers’ offensive line to stop Pierre-Paul and Nassib. Both players are disruptive and are a handful.On the outside looking in for a chance at the playoffs, the Panthers need to play it game by game and get their wins. The Bucs have improved since their last matchup in Week 9, but with a game of smart football, the Panthers should take home the win.