Oakland Raiders linebacker Khalil Mack got a lot of love from the media this offseason. Considering the promise Mack showed during a rookie season in which he nabbed 75 tackles, four sacks, one forced fumble and three passes defensed, it makes ample sense that coaches, players and media members alike touted Mack as a potential breakout candidate headed into NFL Year Two. And while Mack didn't provide much in the way of excitement or impact in the Raiders' season-opener against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, it seems upcoming opponent, the John Harbaugh-led Baltimore Ravens, have taken notice of Mack's abilities.
"You probably do have to start with him," Harbaugh said recently, when discussing what the Ravens offense would need to scheme to stop, via Scott Bair of CSN Bay Area. "I think they have a lot of very good players on defense, but he's probably the focal point. He's a potential game-wrecker. That guy can potentially wreck the whole game. You have to pay close attention to him."
The unexpected addition of Aldon Smith last week certainly adds another potentially powerful element to the Raiders front-seven, but it's Mack who seems to have drawn the focus of Harbaugh and Co., which is something Mack may have to start getting used to. Per the man himself, that's exactly how the Bengals approached things last week.
"They did a lot of things schematically to throw me off," Mack said, via Bair. "I didn't really feel too involved at first but, at the same time, it's a team game. As a defense, we have to step up when that happens and hold them."
Mack finished the Bengals game with just four tackles and one stuff. But the fact that Cincinnati schemed to take his impact away just means that other players needed to step up and take advantage of the opportunities afforded them by the Bengals scheme. Unfortunately, that didn't happen and the Raiders went down hard in their first game of the season.
"They didn't really have to hold the ball very long," head coach Jack Del Rio said, per Bair. "We didn't make them reload very often. Good pass defense is a combination of rush and coverage. It just wasn't what we're looking to have."
Against the Ravens this week, Mack will get a fresh chance to impact the game. With Baltimore struggling to get much rolling offensively against the Denver Broncos, it's very possible that they'll face the same kinds of issues against Oakland. With limited receiving options on the outside, if the Raiders can shut down the running game, Flacco may be forced to hold onto the ball longer than he wants to, presumably allowing Del Rio and defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. to unleash Mack and Smith.
