Oakland Raiders Week 14 Game Balls

Khalil Mack

Dec 13, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler (17) is sacked by Oakland Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack (52) during an NFL football game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Raiders defeated the Broncos 15-12. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The man of the hour – Khalil Mack. Mack was a man-possessed on Sunday, wrecking havoc on the Broncos offensive line all game long. He was dominant when rushing the passer and when stopping the run. It was absolutely incredible to watch. Mack’s five sacks tied the Raiders franchise record, set by Howie Long in 1983. It was the first time any player has recorded five sacks in a single game since his now-teammate Aldon Smith did it in 2012. Perhaps more impressive is that Mack did it all in one half, which hasn’t been done since Vonnie Holliday did it in 2002. Per ESPN, each of Mack’s sacks increased the Raiders’ win probability by at least 5 percent.

The five combined for a Win Probability Added total of 42.6 percent. So Mack nearly accounted for 50% of the reason why the Raiders won that game, according to their analytics. That’s absurd. Mack was impressive as a rookie, but he only totaled four sacks all of last season. So he surpassed that in just one game. Khalil had 9 sacks entering the week. His five sack performance upped that total to 14, good for the NFL lead.

Mack’s big game put him a half-sack ahead of J.J. Watt, who didn’t register a sack in the Sunday night game. This game was crazy, but Mack’s been on a tear since Aldon Smith was handed his suspension. He now has 9 sacks in the last three games, which would make him tied for 9th in the league if you only count those three games. This game has surely vaulted Mack near the top of the Defensive Player of the Year conversation. Here are all five of Khalil’s sacks: