Khalil Mack of the Oakland Raiders received tons of hype before the season started, and it’s easy to see why. Last year, he was second in the league in sacks and became the first player in NFL history to be named All-Pro at two different positions in the same season. After an amazing 2015, and with strong off-season additions like Bruce Irvin, people had meteoric expectations for Mack. However, after five games, Khalil Mack only had one sack. Despite that slow start, Mack could still be Defensive Player of the Year.
Khalil Mack Could Still Be Defensive Player of the Year
Return of the Mack
It’s true that Mack only registered one sack in the first five games of this season, but it’s what he’s done in the last five games that has generated interest. After his quiet beginning, Mack has registered at least one sack in each of the last five games. In fact, in consecutive contests against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos, Mack had two takedowns. To date, Mack has earned eight sacks, the seventh most in the league.
Mack only trails league leader, Lorenzo Alexander of the Buffalo Bills, by two sacks. With pass-happy teams like Philip Rivers‘ San Diego Chargers and Andrew Luck‘s Indianapolis Colts on the horizon, Mack will have his chances. In fact, the Colts lead the NFL in sacks given up per game (3.5). Of their remaining six opponents, only the Kansas City Chiefs find themselves outside the bottom ten in sacks allowed. If the Raiders are going to make a serious late-season run, they’ll need their pass rush to slow down opposing quarterbacks.
High Profile
There are eleven players in the NFL with at least as many sacks as Khalil Mack this season. On this list include the likes of Von Miller, Vic Beasley and Cliff Avril. If Mack wants to win the award, not only will he have to make a ton of big plays, but he’ll have to really stand out. There’s no question that being on a good team helps your case. Unless you have a fantastic season, you could be neglected in favor of a good player on a great team.
Miller, Beasley, and Avril will likely all join Mack in the post-season this year, giving them opportunities to display their gifts. Being on a good Raiders team will help Mack, but he must show that they benefit from having him more than he benefits from playing for them.
Going back ten years, only two men have won the award despite their team missing the playoffs. One was Jason Taylor in 2006 with 13.5 sacks, and the other was J.J. Watt in 2014 with 20.5 sacks. Other than those two, every single year the award has gone to someone who played in the post-season.
Khalil Mack needs to lead the league in sacks before the regular season ends, coupled with making a big impact along the way. Mack and Derek Carr are the future of the franchise, and while Carr is having a MVP-caliber season, Mack must pick up the pace.
Late Bloomer
This isn’t the first time Mack has gotten off to a slow start. Even though it’s only halfway through Mack’s third season in the league, there is a distressing pattern in his numbers. If you were to combine his sack totals from the first eight games of every season he’s played, he has a total of nine sacks. That means that he’s only registered nine sacks over those 24 games.
The second half of the season is a different story. In the second half of every season he’s played, including two weeks from this season, he has eighteen sacks. That’s eighteen sacks in eighteen games. Maybe he doesn’t work out hard enough in the off-season, but Mack needs time to warm up. When he does get it in rhythm, he’s one of the best defenders in the game, and winning the Defensive Player of the Year award this year would prove that.
