Sunday’s matchup against the Falcons was the first game in Devin Funchess’ career that he was the true number one receiver for Carolina, and while the Panthers passing game may have only produced 137 yards through the air, there were few passing plays that there wasn’t an open receiver somewhere. In many cases, it either was Funchess or the other receivers were open because of what Funchess had done.
You’ve heard multiple times since Kelvin Benjamin was traded to the Buffalo Bills that both Funchess and Benjamin were accustomed to playing the ‘X’ receiver role, but what that means in practice is that they both felt most comfortable lining up as the split end, or out wide on the weak side of the formation which has no tight end on it. The ‘X’ receiver is most often lined up on the line of scrimmage directly across from a cornerback, so he must be able to both accelerate up the sideline and handle press coverage easily. Kelvin Benjamin certainly has these abilities, but so does Devin Funchess, and now he’ll get even more of an opportunity to showcase it.
Funchess was targeted on the first passing play of the game which came on a second-and-nine from the Carolina 26-yard line. Unfortunately, the pass fell incomplete, but Funchess played his part well by maintaining inside leverage and gaining a step on his defender. The defender made up the ground and made a play on the ball and, in retrospect, Cam Newton should have gone to either Curtis Samuel or Christian McCaffrey, who had found space underneath due to Funchess post route.
Interestingly enough, on the next play the Panthers have Funchess line up in the same position and run the exact same route, but this time the route combination is meant to create a one-on-one for the deep receiver and clear the left side for McCaffrey and Ed Dickson, who are running a follow combination. Newton ended up scrambling for eight yards which wasn’t enough for the first down, but if he had looked towards Dickson before the pass rush arrived he would have seen a wide open player with green space ahead of him.
Later in the first, Funchess benefited from the attention that McCaffrey demands as a receiver and capitalized on it using great hands and body control. Funchess ran an in route while McCaffrey ran to the flat and as the underneath coverage followed McCaffrey, Funchess made his cut inside and was a step ahead of his defender; unfortunately, Newton threw low and behind but Funchess adjusted to the ball well and came up with the grab. If Newton throws that in front of Funchess, he might get more yards but more importantly the defender wouldn’t have had a chance on the ball at all.
Funchess made another grab in the first that showcased his ability to find the soft spot in zone coverage. He ran a comeback, cut back in just the right spot, and even though he was surrounded by three defenders, none of them were close enough to actually make a play on the ball.
Funchess had a real impact on the Panthers passing attack and created room for his teammates to work while also finding his own room. This is what a true number one receiver does and the Panthers passing attack should look better as the weeks go and Newton gets accustomed to trusting Funchess as his top receiver and learns to find his speedier guys in space due to the attention that Funchess will command moving forward.
How do you get so open that you end up waving your arms to try and get someone to notice? pic.twitter.com/MU3smLFcbP
— Sean Mauk (@MaukDraft) November 8, 2017
Want a behind-the-curtain look at what went into this analysis plus a look at every passing play from the win over Atlanta? Check out my notes below:
