Chicago Bears: 10 bold predictions following Khalil Mack trade
By Ryan Heckman
Raiders’ pass rush finishes bottom-5 in sacks
Once again, I will touch on how the Raiders are impacted by this trade. Even though I feel bad for Oakland fans, I still must give you my utmost, truthful predictions here
Last season, the Raiders finished tied 24th in the NFL in sacks with 31.0 on the year. Mack accounted for 10.5 of them. Without Mack, by some easy math, the Raiders are left with 20.5 sacks in 2017 — that would be good for dead last.
Let’s assume that a few of those sacks are accounted for this season. I’ll give them 5.0 instead of Mack’s 10.5. That still puts them at just 25.5 sacks, which would have been good for 30th in the league.
light. Trending. MUST-KNOW facts, odds and stats following Khalil Mack trade
Even 25.5 sacks might be a stretch, considering Bruce Irvin is the only real threat left to get to the quarterback. With Mack, the Raiders knew that Irvin’s job would be a lot easier. It’s simple logic — just like how Floyd’s job is going to be much easier with Mack on board.
Unless the Raiders think they’re going to get magical seasons out of guys like Tank Carradine, Emmanuel Lamur or Tahir Whitehead, there is no way they improve on last year’s number.
In 2018, the Raiders will without a doubt finish in the bottom-five in the NFL in total sacks. It’s not all that bold, but it’s still a tough pill to swallow if you’re a Raiders fan.