Khalil Mack now the NFL’s most dominant defensive player

Dec 13, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) throws a pass during the first half against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

The offense

The same way there are more pieces around Mack this year, there are more around quarterback Derek Carr too. That has led to Carr putting more points up, keeping the Raiders in more games. Having the lead late in games is a big key to an pass-rusher having the opportunity to get more sacks.

The Raiders were the most run on team in the NFL last year because opposing teams jumped out to big leads. At that point, they’re just trying to run the clock out and get out of there with a healthy team. It took Mack 10 games to get his first sack last year because the Raiders weren’t competitive until around that time.

In Week 13 last year, Mack had two sacks against the San Francisco 49ers because the Raiders had a late lead. Having a late lead is really when a pass-rusher can pin his ears back and get after the quarterback. And of course, going into the fourth quarter down 17 points isn’t going to do anything but give you work against the run.

As displayed in the last slide, the pass-rush and the coverage on the back-end work hand in hand. And the same thing goes for the defense needing the offense to give them the lead to protect. The offense has to at least keep the defense in the game for them to be able to get after the quarterback.

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