A Year in Review: Khalil Mack

A detailed review of the 2016 Defensive Player of the Year, Oakland Raiders DE/LB Khalil Mack. From his eye-popping stats, to his game-changing presence coming off of the EDGE.

Oakland Raiders pass rusher Khalil Mack was coming off of a career year in only his second season in the NFL. In 2015, Mack had 77 tackles, 15 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 passes defensed. It earned Mack his first career All-Pro selection, as well as his first ever Pro Bowl appearance.

Going into 2016, it was surely going to be tough for Mack to give an encore performance, when you look at the numbers that he put up the year prior.

Not only did Mack give an encore performance for the 2016 season, but this past season could have quite easily been his best one yet. For the season, Mack had 73 tackles, 11 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 1 interception returned for a touchdown, and 3 passes defensed.

Although Mack’s sack numbers were down, he was much more consistent posting at least one sack in eight consecutive games. Mack was also a terror in run support, and gained a reputation as a closer, by getting to the quarterback in crucial moments. Oh, and he also won defensive player of the year.

Let’s take a closer look Mack’s week by week performance.

Week 1

Against the New Orleans Saints in Week 1, the expectation was a ton of points and very little defense. We as fans got just that. Although it was one of the many forgettable defensive performances, the Raiders were still able to pull out the thrilling win by a score of 35-34.

As a defensive unit, the Raiders gave up over 500 yards. Mack on the other hand, was not able to find himself near the quarterback, but did register 7 tackles, which was tied for second on the team.

Week 2

For the home opener, it appeared that the Atlanta Falcons were going to be very beatable, despite a potent offense. The Falcons were the second team in a row to torch the Raiders defense, and put up 528 yards of offense.

The Raiders’ defense struggled once again, and Mack accumulated only 4 tackles, but was able to get in 4 quarterback hits. Although Mack did not get a sack, he made his presence felt on more than once occasion.

Week 3

On the road in Tennessee for the second straight year, the Raiders were able to pick up their second straight road win. This one was more of a defensive battle, as you can see according to the score of 17-10.

Mack had little impact in the tackling category, but he did still post a quarterback hit, as well as a tackle for a loss.

Week 4

For the second consecutive week, the Raiders were on the road, heading to Baltimore. This was one of the more exciting games of the season, when you consider how only one point separated the Raiders from the Ravens.

Although there were some points being scored, Mack had his best game of the season up this point. For the game, Mack had 6 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss, as well as 3 quarterback hits. Most pundits were clamoring for Mack to get a sack, and he answered back with authority.

Week 5

Coming back to Oakland, the Raiders would be facing their division rival, the then San Diego Chargers.

This was another game in which the Raiders defense fell flat on their faces, giving up over 400 yards of total offense as well as 31 points. Mack had an average performance by his standards, only totaling 3 tackles and 2 of those for a loss.