The LA Chargers and QB Justin Herbert will be looking to the likes of Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa to bolster his team’s chances of a winning a play-off spot.
The team finished 10-7 last season but were without the services of Bosa for two months, a period Mack believes cost him and the team momentum.
Bosa is a potential Hall-of-Famer, and the linebacker earned his 4th Pro Bowl in five years but could not play due to injury.
Bosa pulled a groin muscle against the Jaguars and the team went from sack machines to Mack having to lead the line almost single-handedly.
At least that is what Mack thinks: “You must understand it was no longer Joey and Khalil that teams worry about. The focus on the edge was solely on me,” he said this month.
The Buffalo educated Mack is going into his ninth season after being picked for the Raiders in the 2014 draft and believes that last season without Bosa is akin to him having “paid my tax.”
Being without Bosa was like, “Damn, I didn’t really know if I could play,” he said.
“It was new. Just kind of grinding that whole process out and trying to take care of my body to where I could keep going throughout the year.
“This year, just understanding that and having fun the whole off season, it’s going to be fun,” he added.
For the likes of Herbert and the entire offense it would seem Mack has paid the IRS everything emotionally, and then some. He will need back-up, another monster sacker. The Chargers could go 11-6 or even 12-5 with the pair of sack machines out on the park.
