Khalil Mack and the Los Angeles Chargers were pushed to the brink by Derek Carr and the Las Vegas Raiders in their season opener, but the Chargers prevailed, 24-19, thanks in no small part to Mack's contributions. Mack had his revenge against the team that drafted him in 2014, posting three huge sacks against Raiders quarterback Carr, none bigger than the fourth quarter strip he had that sealed the game:

The scariest part of Khalil Mack's dynamite performance is that this might be his usual level of play, despite being years removed from his peak. That is according to the words of Chargers head coach Brandon Staley, who worked with Mack back when he was with the Chicago Bears in 2018.

When asked about whether Mack added a bit of “extra” juice and motivation coming back from injury woes into his revenge game, Staley had this to say, which would cause most quarterbacks in the league to quake within their shoes.

“No. There's nothing extra with Khalil Mack,” Staley said after the game. “Khalil Mack is that way all the time. This is just your first time seeing it.”

Staley was clearly impressed with how Mack led the Chargers' pass-rush that gave Carr a hell of a time in the snap. Carr completed just 22 of 37 throws, throwing two touchdowns against three intrerceptions. Mack was given the game ball for his efforts, but the 31-year old outside linebacker was quick to credit his teammates for an all-around excellent defensive performance.

“It's team ball, it's all team ball,” Mack said. “The coverage guys was doing an excellent job, they did a lot. It's been a while since I got cover sacks. They were balling. They did their thing.”

Khalil Mack was acquired by the Chargers back in March for a 2022 second-rounder that became Jaquan Brisker. and a 2023 sixth-round pick, and it's quickly become apparent that Mack, the 2016 Defensive Player of the Year, a three-time first-team All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler has a lot left in the tank. Opposing quarterbacks will definitely be more cautious moving around Mack especially after a terrifying defensive performance.