WATCH: Khalil Mack Picks Off Newton, Returns For Touchdown
Ryan Mayer
The Raiders defense has been lagging behind their offense throughout much of this season. The team has largely won games by outscoring its opponent as opposed to shutting teams down. That said, there are plenty of play makers on the defensive side of the ball, and they can make a big impact on games when they need to.
Case in point, defensive end Khalil Mack. Mack was largely silent through the first five weeks of the season recording only one sack. But, over the last five weeks, he's recorded seven sacks and started to make his presence felt in games. He did that once again Sunday as the Raiders hosted the Panthers at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
With the Raiders leading 17-7 with under two minutes to go in the first half, Mack sniffed out an attempted screen pass by Cam Newton. He snared the pass and then quickly broke into a sprint to return the interception for a touchdown to give the Raiders a three possession advantage.
