Offensive line must brace for Raiders’ Mack attack
In his six meetings against the Broncos, Oakland Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack has recorded seven sacks.
He has his own game in Broncos lore — his five-sack performance in December 2015 will forever be known as The Khalil Mack game — and he has a title as the NFL’s reigning defensive player of the year that Denver’s own sack master, Von Miller, has yet to attain.
Mack is a respected nemesis in Denver, and he’s among the many problems the Broncos will try to solve Sunday when they host the Raiders.
But for the Broncos’ retooled offensive line, and especially its tackles, he’s just the latest problem.
In Week 1, the Broncos faced the Los Angeles Chargers’ pass-rushing duo of Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. In Week 2, it was tasked with containing Dallas’ DeMarcus Lawrence, the league’s leader with 6.5 sacks. Lawrence recorded two of those in Denver. And in Week 3 at Buffalo, the Broncos’ line had the unenviable task of trying to block Lorenzo Alexander and a defensive front seven Vance Joseph called the best in the league.
“They’ve competed well against the speed rushers, and that’s a huge issue in this league, blocking speed rushers,” Joseph said. “Obviously Mack is a special player. That being said, we have a game plan to block Mack. It won’t just be on (the tackles) to block him one-on-one all the time. Now you can’t help both guys, so from time to time they have to do their job and block him one-on-one, but it’s two-fold. Schematically we have to help those guys from time to time and the players have to play against that guy one-on-one.”
The Broncos’ offensive line now features rookie Garett Bolles at left tackle, former Raider Menelik Watson at right tackle, veteran Ron Leary at right guard, incumbent Matt Paradis at center and a rotation of Max Garcia and Allen Barbre at left guard.
The six-man unit has helped the Broncos morph into the league’s third-best team in rushing yards
(143 per game) after ranking as the sixthworst (92.8) in 2016.
But protection of quarterback Trevor Siemian has remained spotty. Opponents have sacked Siemian nine times (tied for 12thmost in the NFL, knocked him down 16 times (15th) and recorded 26 quarterback hurries (fifth). At this rate, Siemian is looking at 48 sacks on the season. In his 14 starts last year, Siemian was sacked 31 times.
Watson, who spent four years in Oakland before signing with the Broncos in free agency this past March, has yielded 4.5 sacks for a loss of 51 yards. But Joseph, as has Siemian, has said Watson has sparked a necessary attitude shift on the line and possibly provides an advantage Sunday having played against Mack in Raiders training camps and practices.
“I hope so,” Siemian said with a smile. “(Mack’s) all-pro and defensive player of the year. He’s a great player, and he’s going to show up at some point in the game, and guys like that tend to make a difference. We just got to make sure we keep them under control a little bit. …You know where he is every time you break the huddle. You’re not going to miss him. He’s not going to sneak up you.”
Siemian and the line have also had the advantage of going up against Miller and the Broncos’ deep class of pass rushers daily. Over the summer, Miller held his inaugural pass-rushing summit in California to bring together the league’s pre-eminent defenders for a sharing of techniques and lessons. Mack, whose game is often compared to Miller’s, was among the invites.
“Just watching him on film these past few years has taught me a lot just about rushing the passer,” Mack said. “Not only that, just looking at his get-off and looking at the things he looks at and learning from him this past summer. Him and DeMarcus Ware and all those other guys that were out, it helps the mind-set of the pass rusher.”
On Sunday, some of those lessons learned and new skills might be unveiled. But for the Broncos, it’s another test of durability and another pass-rushing problem. His name is Khalil Mack.
“He’s the best player behind Von Miller, because that’s the best player in the world, in my opinion,” Bolles said. “But Khalil Mack, he’s a great player, a great leader. You see his intensity out there making plays. I give him all the props in the world. He’s changed the game.”