4 critical observations from the Panthers shock win vs. Bucs in Week 7
By Luke Gray
Ben McAdoo’s best game as Carolina Panthers OC
A lot of criticism has fairly been leveled at Ben McAdoo for the stagnant Carolina Panthers offense we’ve seen so far this season. Things hit rock bottom in Week 6 at the Los Angeles Rams, which didn’t leave much hope for the future after Christian McCaffrey and Robbie Anderson were traded.
Following on from the trade, little was expected from Carolina against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and its stout defense. However, we saw McAdoo call his best game as Panthers’ offensive coordinator en route to their most complete performance of the season.
Carolina accumulated 343 total yards and no turnovers. This represented something we haven’t witnessed from the Panthers’ offense prior to Week 7.
McAdoo and his staff opened the playbook for PJ Walker following the shambles in Los Angeles, trusting the quarterback to throw deep. After the erratic nature of his limited deep throws a week ago, it was a pleasant surprise to see the change.
The former New York Giants head coach especially schemed things well in the running game, with both D’Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard averaging more than seven yards per carry. The Panthers leaned on the fact they were winning the battle in the trenches, which proved to be the major difference between the two sides.
With the leaky Atlanta Falcons defense on the schedule in Week 8, the Panthers and McAdoo will hope for another solid offensive display.