The Long-Awaited Khalil Mack Revenge Game Was Pure Art

Khalil Mack never wanted to leave the Oakland Raiders. He was building a legacy with that organization. Easily its best defensive player in a generation. Somebody destined for the Hall of Fame. A proud member of the Silver and Black. After multiple years of dominance, he felt he deserved to get paid like one of the best in the NFL. There was just one problem. New head coach Jon Gruden had the final say on that, and he wasn't keen on giving so much money to that side of the ball. When it became apparent Mack wasn't going to budge on his desired price, Gruden made a momentous decision. He washed his hands of the entire affair and traded the former Defensive Player of the Year to the Chicago Bears for a large package of picks. It was a disappointing moment for the star pass rusher and he hoped to show that team what a mistake they made the next time he saw them.

That opportunity came in 2019.

Sadly, it didn't go as planned. Mack managed just one tackle in London. The Raiders game plan involved running the football and lots of quick passes. He never really got a chance to go hunting. Especially after the Bears fell behind 17-0 at one point. That 24-21 loss was painful. The outside linebacker had to wonder if he'd ever get another chance to have his revenge. Sure enough, the NFL gave him one when they chose to expand the schedule in 2021. By adding a 17th game, the Bears found they'd be matched up with the Raiders once again. This time in their brand new Las Vegas stadium. With both teams needing a win, Mack made sure he wasn't going to waste this opportunity. In a terrific effort by the Bears defense, the outside linebacker was everywhere. He had eight tackles, a tackle for a loss, and a sack on the afternoon. Though it was technically two sacks since he also dropped Derek Carr on a two-point conversion attempt to keep the Bears up by five late. The man was unblockable. [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Khalil-Mack-sack2.mp4"][/video] [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Khalil-Mack-sack.mp4"][/video]

Khalil Mack is reminding everybody that he isn't human

He now has six sacks in the past four games. It should be seven but the NFL for whatever reasons doesn't count them on conversion attempts. For those keeping track, Mack is now just three sacks away from matching his 2020 total and there are still 12 games left to play. He is putting himself in a position to challenge for Defensive Player of the Year honors. If that were to happen? He'd be the first in history to do it for two different teams and the third in Bears history. This serves as a good reminder. Mack is still one of the best to do it in the NFL. Double and triple teams? Nagging injuries? It doesn't matter. When he gets it going, there is no stopping him. Credit also should go to defensive coordinator Sean Desai for putting him in more advantageous positions, utilizing Khalil Mack in a myriad of creative ways. Something Chuck Pagano didn't do nearly enough.

The end result was much sweeter this time.

A dominant individual effort was also rewarded with a dominant team victory. Their 20-9 triumph in Las Vegas was easily the most impressive of the season for the Bears. Now they have a chance to seize control of the NFC North next Sunday in a titanic clash with the Green Bay Packers. If Mack continues to play like this? They may actually have a shot.