Week 1 Loser No. 2: Khalil Mack
Before I get into it Khalil Mack is one of the best players on this team. The reason he is on this list is that since he is so good, the expectations that come for him weekly are very high. We all know what Mack can do on a football field, and we just want to see him do that.
He ended the game with just one tackle and no sacks, to go along with no quarterback hits or pressures. He was basically taken completely out of the game. He had a hard time getting around Rob Havenstien, who had a great game all night. A lot of it is due to the fact that the Rams are coached by Sean McVay who obviously game planned to take Mack out of the game. Still, we expect more from such a player.
It seems that teams have figured out Mack for the most part. He will still dominate less skilled tackles and if you do not help he will make you pay. Yet, he just has not looked the same the last couple of years and the production has not been what we had become accustomed to. Mack is one of the best in the game, so he along with Sean Desai needs to figure out how to maximize his talents. Also, Robert Quinn, or whoever is on the other edge spot, needs to be better in order to free up Mack from being double-teamed.
Mack was schemed out of the game by Sean McVay and company, so Sean Desai needs to come up with more clever ways to counter those moves. In future games hopefully, Khalil Mack can have some help from the other pass rushers in order to force more punts and possibly turnovers.