RETURN OF THE MACK. GrindingTheTape breaks down why Khalil Mack looks as good as ever and why he's poised to reclaim his elite status with the Chargers. LAC | BoltUp
was breaking in a new set of digs, it was back in 2018 when the then-Oakland Raiders traded Mack from the AFC West to the NFC North. That season saw Mack shine in the Windy City with the Chicago Bears—a debut season that brought forth Mack’s second-highest career sack performance in a single season while finishing as the runner-up for the AP’s Defensive Player of the Year award. The gamble paid off greatly for the Bears, who rode Mack’s dominating presence on the field to the No.
NFL EDGEs can age gracefully if you do it properly. Consider Justin Houston of the Baltimore Ravens. Houston is playing in his 12th NFL season as a 33-year-old pass rusher. With 104 career sacks and counting, he’s nabbed 25.5 of them over the past three-plus seasons since crossing the threshold into his 30s. The snap count is, of course, reduced—Houston was a 90% snap player in his youth but is running around 63% across his two years in Indianapolis and his year-plus in Baltimore.
Now, there is of course a lot of time left in 2022 and how Mack ages and endures physically will be the grand test of his legacy as he returns to the AFC West in 2022 and beyond. But one would also have to assume that Mack’s new luxury in Los Angeles will allow him to continue to look like the player who changed the defensive outlook for Chicago all the way back in 2018: he’s sharing the field with a star pass rusher for the first time in his career in former top pick Joey Bosa.
A 1st-and-goal run stuff in the first quarter to help force a field goal that saw Mack string out tight end Foster Moreau to the front side of a crack toss to force running back Josh Jacobs to cut back inside of the block. Jacobs lost his footing and lost a yard on the play.