Khalil Mack showed Sunday how he can dominate a game without dominating the stat sheet.
In the Raiders’ 19-16 victory over the Chargers, Mack didn’t have a single sack for the first time in nine games. Yet he had nine quarterback pressures and forced San Diego blockers to account for him on every play. And, when the Chargers did double or triple team him, the Raiders made them pay.
In fact, Sunday’s victory — a win that clinched a playoff spot for the franchise for the first time since 2002 – was a perfect example of why Oakland general manager Reggie McKenzie went after free-agent linebacker Bruce Irvin this past offseason.
Irvin, aligned on the opposite side of Mack, is a terrific complement. The former Seattle Seahawk is a wide-ranging linebacker capable of making big plays against the run while also getting to the passer when opposing blocking schemes put too much focus on stopping Mack.
On Sunday, Irvin had two sacks of Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, three QB hits and was in on six tackles.
As Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com noted, Irvin calls himself “Robin,” the sidekick to Mack’s “Batman.”
“Robin kind of showed up, yeah,” Irvin told Gutierrez after Sunday’s game. “Robin woke up with a pep in his step.”
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Over the past five games, Irvin has five sacks, 28 tackles, a forced fumble and a batted pass. He’s just one sack behind his career-best season total of eight set as a rookie in 2012, and already has set a career-high in tackles (51).
The Mack-Irvin pass rush combination is shaping up just the way the Raiders hoped when they gave Irvin a four-year deal worth a potential $37 million this past offseason.
Said Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio: “I think from the moment that Bruce arrived, he and Khalil had a natural competition, or a natural kind of bond where they were two alpha males. They were going to push each other really hard every day and compete every day. Bruce has been tremendous for us.”
Irvin made one of the biggest plays of the day when he pressured Rivers, then sped downfield to force a fumble by Chargers running back Kenneth Farrow.
Then, on the Chargers’ last play of the game, Irvin and Mack both converged on Rivers, forcing him to throw an interception to safety Reggie Nelson.
Now the Raiders are 11-3, alone atop the AFC West with a playoff spot already in hand and eager to keep their momentum going with a win this Saturday over the Colts.
Said Irvin: “We’ve just got to continue to get better each and every week and see how far we can take this thing.”
