Khalil Mack trade earns Chargers praise, Bears criticism
The Los Angeles Chargers have a future Hall of Famer on their defense in pass rusher Khalil Mack. While he's near the end of his career, Mack hasn't shown signs of slowing down any time soon. The former No.5 overall pick has had a long career with stops in Oakland and Chicago.
Mack has been part of some of the biggest trades in NFL history. The Raiders shipped him to the Bears in 2018 in exchange for two first-round picks, a third-round pick and a sixth-round pick. After four seasons in Chicago where they didn't win much, the Bears decided to unload Mack in the 2022 offseason.
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That's where the Chargers came in, who acquired the star pass rusher in exchange for a 2022 second-round pick and 2023 sixth-round pick.
Bill Barnwell of ESPN performed hindsight evaluations of the biggest trades from 2022-2023. He gave the Chargers high praise in their deal for Mack.
"Mack rounded back into form, making the Pro Bowl in each of the next three seasons. The 2024 nod might have been a little generous, but in 2023, Mack racked up 17 sacks and 21 tackles for loss, earning him deserved down-ballot Defensive Player of the Year attention. He is currently sidelined by an elbow injury, but Mack had missed just one game in his first three years with the Chargers. He has been healthy and productive."
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In Mack's 52 games with the Chargers, he has 51 quarterback hits, 40 tackles for a loss and 32 sacks. He's also made the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons with the Bolts. While a dislocated elbow will sideline him for a few weeks, he's been nothing but productive since being brought to Los Angeles.
"Clear win for the Chargers," said Barnwell. It sure was.
Raiders’ Chip Kelly Gives Blunt Response Over Ashton Jeanty Concerns
The Las Vegas Raiders‘ rushing game continues to be a
In that game, the Raiders totaled just 93 rushing yards, with rookie Ashton Jeanty leading the way with 63. The 21-year-old carried the ball 17 times, averaging 3.7 yards per carry.
Though it shows a modest improvement, Las Vegas will need a much stronger ground attack to achieve consistent success as the season progresses. While the focus is on the Raiders’
“I think it’s the defenses right now,” Kelly told reporters on September 25
“Everybody else—Saquon Barkley averages 3.3 yards per carry, Christian McCaffrey averages three yards per carry. So Ashton Jeanty’s right in the bunch with those guys. I think across the league through the first three games, defenses are ahead of offenses at a big rate… That’s just the league. Sometimes defenses are ahead, then offenses catch up, and it goes back and forth. That’s the nature of this game.”
Raiders Have Faced Top Run Defenses
In the first three games, the Silver and Black have played a couple of the top run defenses in the NFL. The New England Patriots (181 yards), Los Angeles Chargers (284 yards), and Commanders (302 yards) are the top defenses in rushing yards allowed, per
Against the Chicago Bears, the Raiders should be able to run the football, considering the NFC North side has allowed 418 rushing yards so far this season. This Week 4 game might be what Jeanty needs to get going.
NFL Analyst Calls Out Raiders O-Line
Despite Chicago being one of the worst run defenses, it will all depend on the Las Vegas offensive line to generate running lanes for Jeanty. Nonetheless, NFL analyst Mark Schlereth
“The concern is the Raiders couldn’t block their way out of a wet paper sack,” Schlereth said during an appearance
“I’ve got a couple of guys on there. Daron Payne for Washington is a really good player, and I think they’ve got a bunch of really good players, but they don’t have anybody other than Daron Payne who’s an absolute war daddy on that line of scrimmage. [The Raiders] offensive line was awful. It was purely awful in this game.”
“Being unable to block anybody and then Ashton learning exactly what he is supposed to do is a bad combination right off the start. I thought the right side of their offensive line, with their right tackle and
