Marshawn Lynch earned the nickname “Beast Mode” and brought the Beast Quake play into NFL lore. However, Pro Football Focus reminded us recently that it’s Khalil Mack who really has the claws out in Oakland.
Khalil Mack: The Real Beast For The Oakland Raiders?
Per the Tweet, Mack led the league with 96 quarterback pressures in 2016, and those pressures led to a whopping 11.0 sacks, which was good enough for a tie for 8th in the NFL. Not bad for someone who was only in his first full season as a defensive lineman.
Beast pic.twitter.com/IiopA1WWhO
— PFF (@PFF) July 21, 2017
On the other hand, Lynch is coming out of retirement. In his last full season back in 2014 (he only played in seven games in 2015), he rushed for 1,306 yards and a league-leading 13 touchdowns.
This brings out every cliché in the book about offense vs. defense… with a new twist. Both players have been selected to multiple Pro Bowls, and both have been named All-Pro’s. So the question is, can Lynch steal his nickname back in 2017?
Lynch has lower expectations thanks to entering a dynamic backfield and a stacked offense, but will 800-900 yards really be enough? Mack’s racked up 30.0 total sacks in his brief career, and O-lines league-wide both fear and game plan for him. Will the status quo be enough?
Thinking about it, maybe having two beasts on one team wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all…
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