As the Los Angeles Chargers' season has played out, they have sorely missed star pass rusher Khalil Mack, even as both Tuli Tuipulotu and the recently acquired Odafe Oweh have performed well in his absence.
Yet, allthough Mack returned in limited form for Week 7 against the Indianapolis Colts, he made even more of an impact in Week 8, playing 28 of the team's 43 defensive snaps and, in the process, made the Chargers pass rush look fully dangerous yet again.
They got pressure on opposing quarterback Carson Wentz all night long, tallying five sacks as a team and what seemed like endless pressures and QB hits. Now that Mack has returned, Oweh's acquisition seems to have given the pass rush a depth they have desperately needed this season.
The Odafe Oweh trade still gives the Chargers versatility even after Mack has come back
When Mack went down in Week 2 against the Las Vegas Raiders with what looked to be a gruesome arm injury, a strength of the team immediately transformed into a salient weakness.
Although Tuipulotu stepped up in his absence, looking like an All-Pro pass rusher at times and amassing five sacks in those four games, the pass rush as a whole struggled to get home due to the inconsistencies of players like Bud Dupree and Caleb Murphy.
Therefore, Los Angeles dealing Alohi Gilman to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for struggling pass rusher Odafe Oweh, at the time, seemed like a bit of a desperate swing to get things back on track. While Oweh had not recorded a sack with the Ravens this season, he had one sack and two QB hits in his first two games with the Chargers.
Against the Colts, however, the pass rush looked entirely ineffective against a cohesive offensive line, and it quickly became clear that, in order for this pass rush to become dangerous again, Mack needed to return in full form.
Yet, against the Vikings, Mack not only showed up, he made the job easier for those surrounding him simply through his presence on the field. Even Justin Eboigbe, who had not recorded a sack since Week 5 against the Washington Commanders, got home twice throughout the course of the night, and Oweh himself recorded one sack.
However, the most pleasing thing to see was that, on many of the team's pressures, multiple of Los Angeles's rushers got through the offensive line, forcing Wentz to throw with defenders in his face for a great portion of the night.
While, with Mack and Tuipulotu fully healthy, Oweh will likely take on a rotational role, it is clear that this was always the plan. Where it will pay off is in the fact that the Chargers now have a seriously dangerous, and deep, pass rush between their three main outside linebackers: a key strength that will help this defense continue to get back on track.