Is it really a revenge game if it’s six years in the making and against a different coaching staff? Well, whatever it was, Khalil Mack was on a tear against this former team Sunday, breaking off a career-high six sacks.
This one was probably a combination of the Raiders starting a rookie QB in his first game and an offensive line that has not been able to keep opposing edge rushers out of the backfield of late.
The first sack came quick. Second play of the game for the Raiders. With the Chargers up 7-0. It led to a three-and-out to start the day for the Raiders.
probably want to watch out for @FiftyDeuce
📺: @nfloncbs pic.twitter.com/6DdpoR8dmM
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) October 1, 2023
The second sack came in the second quarter with a 17-7 Chargers lead. This one was the strip variety. The Chargers took over at that Las Vegas 35 and the Chargers took advantage, driving for a touchdown and a 24-7 lead.
anotha one
📺: @nfloncbs pic.twitter.com/gk0p0CYvcL
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) October 1, 2023
The third one was the first play of the third quarter, and it was another strip sack. This one the Raiders were able to recover to limit the damage. But three plays later, Mack got to O’Connell again for his fourth sack. Making for his most sacks since he left the Raiders after the 2017 season.
khalil's fourth sack 😳
📺: @nfloncbs pic.twitter.com/M6NVdEudkr
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) October 1, 2023
It made for another three-and-out.
His fifth sack came on the second play of the next drive and it matched his career-high which he set with the Raiders in 2015 against the Broncos.
Make that five sacks for Khalil Mack today against his former team 😱
📺: #LVvsLAC on CBS⁰📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/Jq9JHUeqb6 pic.twitter.com/Hpsgjk8cg4
— NFL (@NFL) October 1, 2023
That was three sacks in the first five minutes of the third quarter, which meant he had over 25 minutes of football still to play to set a new career-high and a Chargers franchise record.
He would get that early in the fourth quarter.
the franchise single-game sack record.
6 sacks for @FiftyDeuce
📺: @nfloncbs pic.twitter.com/t9z7hQbhvp
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) October 1, 2023
Keep in mind, while Mack is a great player and has a lot of sacks in this league, he has zero sacks on the season coming in. And only once before did he have more than three sacks in a game. Then he comes in here and doubles that.
But as great as Mack is, this kind of performance has to be on the Raiders. So, I asked Josh McDaniels about it. And this is what he said.
“There was a number of snaps where there was multiple people on him and him only,” McDaniels said of their game plan versus Mack.
“We jammed him, chipped him, hit him in the ribs. We did everything we could do to try to disrupt him with another player and then obviously we had a tackle assigned to him as well. He had a great day and we were trying to put people over there on the right side for the most part, that’s where he was and he did better than we did, clearly.”
McDaniels was sure to give Mack credit for being a great player, but that’s established. Mack was one sack away from tying Derrick Thomas’s NFL record. When you give up record numbers to any player, something clearly went terribly wrong.
Dropping your third straight game to fall to 1-3 on the season would also suggest that.
