Carolina isn’t going to win any beauty pageants in 2022, and it knows it. That’s why the Panthers used all of their “big uglies” in their “Arby’s package” during Sunday’s win against Seattle.
ESPN’s David Newton reported offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo discussed how the “Arby’s package” — which requires eight offensive linemen — came to be on Wednesday.
After the team’s 30-24 win against the Seahawks, left guard Brady Christensen said, “Anytime you can have eight big uglies out there it’s incredible.’
He added the name comes from Arby’s tagline: “We have the meats.” That’s as perfect a name as any for an offensive formation that features over 2,400 pounds of USDA-certified prime beef.
Per Augusta Stone of Panthers.com, the Panthers built upon a formation that featured seven linemen by adding backup guard Michael Jordan to the mix. Stone noted the result of the play wasn’t earth-shattering (a 2-yard D’Onta Foreman gain), but it underlines the shift in offensive philosophy that’s given Carolina hope this holiday season.
During the team’s first six games, which includes all of Matt Rhule’s 2022 tenure and one game of interim head coach Steve Wilks’s run, the team was 1-5 while averaging 20.7 rush attempts for 90.3 yards per game. Per Football Outsiders, the Panthers had the 21st-ranked rush offense by their Defense-adjusted Value over Average (DVOA) metric.
Carolina traded star running back Christian McCaffrey following Wilks’s first game, and in the weeks since, the Panthers have had one of the strongest rushing attacks in the NFL.
Since Week 7, Carolina is 4-3. During the Panthers’ run, they are averaging 33.9 rush attempts for 154.6 yards per game and rank 14th in DVOA.
The team has 10 rushing touchdowns in its past seven games as opposed to three in its first six. The increase in production hasn’t been about the subtraction of the team’s best offensive weapon heading into the season as much as it is Wilks showing a better understanding of what gives Carolina the best chance at winning in 2022 than his predecessor.
Carolina (5-8) is a game back of Tampa Bay (6-7) for first in the NFC South and has something the Buccaneers don’t midway through December: an offensive identity. The team knows what it is, and what it isn’t. The Panthers are by no means beauty queens. They may soon be reminded that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
