Khalil Mack’s dominance, explained in 5 plays

[Kazu2324]

SBNation tried to quantify the actual impact of Mack on the Bears using their EPA metric. Pretty interesting stuff, though not like super in-depth. I like their comparison with the Raiders' D after showing Mack's impact.

Play 1: 27-yard pick-six against the PackersDown & Distance: third-and-19
Location: Packers’ 30-yard line
EPA Difference: -6.11

The Packers were just trying to escape what had turned into a disastrous drive in Week 1. It was third-and-19 on their own 30-yard line — rightfully, Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy just tried to avoid a big defensive play by calling a screen.

Then Khalil Mack happened. Center Corey Linsley let go of the man he was blocking a little bit too quickly and it caused DeShone Kizer to rush the screen pass. The ball ended up in the hands of Mack, who ran it in the rest of the way for six right before halftime to give the Bears a 17-0 lead.


Remember, this play came just a week after he was traded from Oakland to Chicago. Mack was an addition that provided an instant impact for the Bears.

Rest of the article

Here's the Raiders' bit since it made me happy to read

However, it is noticeable that the Bears currently sit at first in sack percentage while the Raiders rank dead last. Last year, the Bears were sixth in sack percentage while the Raiders were 24th.

The number of turnovers between the two teams is apparent too. The Bears are second in the league (behind the Browns) in forced turnovers with 11, and the Raiders are tied for 19th with five. The Bears have a more talented defense than the Raiders overall, but Mack has forced three turnovers of his own this year.


When it comes to game-changing plays that put the ball back in the hand of the offense, there might not be anyone better than Mack right now. It’s not hard to think the Raiders could be 2-2 or perhaps even 3-1, rather than 1-3, with the sacks and turnovers that Mack brings.


Outside of the Raiders’ season opener against the Los Angeles Rams, all of their games have been decided by one score — and they led at halftime in all three of their losses. They have an eight-point loss against the Miami Dolphins and a one-point loss to the Denver Broncos. In their games against Miami and Denver, they combined for just one forced turnover and two sacks.


It’s impossible to say that they would’ve outright won those games if they still had Mack, but Mack has already shown he can erase scoring opportunities by himself.


As the great Jon Gruden said about pass rushers, “It’s hard to find a great one.” The Bears have a great one on their hands — an elite cornerstone on their defense for the foreseeable future. The Raiders don’t have that player anymore.

 

[gallagher]

Any write up that talks about how great Mack is is a great read. Thanks for sharing!

 

[cbo0485]

Good read, Still hard to figure out what the hell oakland was thinking getting rid of this guy.

 

[Kazu2324]

Another article with an interview with LB coach Brandon Staley. Didn't want to start a new thread so just gonna piggy back off this one. Here's some snippets.

A month into the season, he’s on pace for 16 strip-sacks. No one’s expecting him to keep up that pace, obviously. But what makes him so dangerous in that regard?

From the moment he got here, you just knew that his goal wasn’t just to beat the man, it’s to go get the ball. He has the innate ability to see the football on his way to the quarterback. When Leonard (Floyd) tipped the ball in pass coverage (against the Buccaneers), Khalil almost caught the ricochet. You could see his eyes going there. And that’s exactly the way he practices. We show our guys all the time in practice the way he is in one-on-one pass rush or in a team drill. You can see him always attacking the football. It’s just a part of his DNA. And it’s something that has made our defense even that much better.

What does it say about his willingness to be a teammate in that he is helping offensive linemen out in practice — “Hey, I beat you on this, here’s what you could be doing differently”? What does it say that he’s taking interest in helping like that?

Khalil understands the impact that he can have on so many people within the organization. There are a lot of eyes on him. And he sets the example of how we practice. Before every practice rep, you’ll see him tell the defense to take the field. And then he runs to the ball in practice. It’s like a race to the ball. And that’s the way it is in the game too. People on both sides of the ball see that energy he has towards his craft and it really multiplies. As a coach, as a leader you love that term “multiplier.” Just a guy who can make a lot of other people better. And he certainly has that quality.

Rest of the article