Playing his former franchise, the Las Vegas Raiders, on Sunday, the Los Angeles Chargers outside linebacker Khalil Mack didn’t show any mercy. Mack instead looked like he was playing with some extra motivation, delivering a standout performance that helped the Chargers to a 24-17 win.
Mack finished the night with six sacks, his career-best, and broke the Chargers’ single-game sacks record in the process. Two of his sacks resulted in forced fumbles, with one of them being recovered by the Chargers.
The Raiders started rookie Aidan O’Connell against the Chargers, with veteran Jimmy Garoppolo being out with a concussion. O’Connell’s inexperience ended up making the job easier, according to Mack.
“We had time to get there,” Mack said. “We had a young guy back there. He was thinking a lot, you could tell, and he made some mistakes, especially when it comes to ball security.”
Khalil Mack spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Raiders, who drafted him fifth overall in 2014. After earning three Pro Bowls and the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award with the franchise, Mack was traded to the Chicago Bears following a breakdown in extension negotiations.
Mack would go on to play four years for the Bears as well before Chicago traded him to the Chargers ahead of the 2022 NFL season. The 32-year-old player had eight sacks last season and earned his seventh Pro Bowl nod.
