Mack is Back to Dominate, Lead Oakland Raiders

Oct 30, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Oakland Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack (52) high fives fans after the beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in overtime at Raymond James Stadium. Oakland Raiders defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-24 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 30, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Oakland Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack (52) high fives fans after the beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in overtime at Raymond James Stadium. Oakland Raiders defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-24 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 6, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack (52) points towards the crowd after a defensive stop against the Denver Broncos in the third quarter at Oakland Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Broncos 30-20. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 6, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack (52) points towards the crowd after a defensive stop against the Denver Broncos in the third quarter at Oakland Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Broncos 30-20. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /

Year 3

After such a great season we thought he would surely pick up where he left off last year. But he started slowly again and the defense was horrible, giving up 445 yards per game. Mack had two sacks in that stretch and wasn’t as dominant against the run.

But he now has at least one sack in each of his last four games. He has two sacks in each of his last two games and a total of 21 pressures in that span. But his AFC Defensive Player of the Week performance Sunday night in Week 9 against the Broncos was special.

Mack had two tackles for losses, a pass defended, two QB hits, two sacks and eight hurries. He recovered the fumble he forced on one of those sacks and one of his pressures forced an INT. And both of those plays had a hand in the outcome of the game.

Mack has been thoroughly dominating opposing offenses over the last three games. In that stretch, the Raiders have given up 304 yards per game and won three in a row. The Raiders would be No. 4 in the NFL in total defense if they played like that all year.