DENVER — Khalil Mack will play in the playoffs for only the sixth time in his stellar 12-season career, one of the NFL’s most-feared pass rushers, a player destined for the Hall of Fame. He is 0-5 in one postseason game with the then-Oakland Raiders, two with the Chicago Bears and two with the Chargers.
This time, he believes it will be different. This time, he believes he and the seventh-seeded Chargers (11-6) have what it takes to make a deep playoff run, starting with their wild-card matchup Sunday against the second-seeded New England Patriots (14-3). This time, he believes they will make it happen.
Why so confident?
“The leadership,” he said.
Pause.
“The locker room,” he said.
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“The players,” he said.
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“Just understanding that in itself helps you believe, but you also know the work has to be put in, you know what I mean?” he said. “If at first you don’t succeed, you gotta keep trying, you know what I’m saying? So, yeah, this is another shot at it, and I’m looking forward to it. It’s football. I love football.”
Mack didn’t play a down during the Chargers’ regular-season finale against the Denver Broncos, a 19-3 loss Sunday in which Coach Jim Harbaugh rested his starters. But he said he would begin preparations for facing the Patriots as soon as he settled into his seat for the Chargers’ flight home.
There was zero time to waste.
Mack, who turns 35 on Feb. 22, also knows time is growing short. He considered retirement after the Chargers’ wild-card loss last January to the Houston Texans, but then re-signed on a one-season deal worth a guaranteed $18.5 million to give it another shot at playing meaningful football.
“This is going to be my sixth time going,” Mack said of advancing to the playoffs. “So, just understanding how precious it is and how hard it is to get to the postseason, it’s always special, especially now because you don’t know how many more opportunities you’re going to have.”
What’s more, past defeats are not necessarily a predictor of the future.
“I feel like the possibilities are endless when you step back and try to look at the big picture,” Mack said. “Everybody’s striving to get that win and get to the big game and so on. That’s always the thought process, but you’ve got to focus on this one game first. All the cards on the table.”
EXTRA POINTS
The Chargers appeared to suffer a significant loss when cornerback Donte Jackson sustained an ankle injury with 6:07 remaining in the first quarter. He rolled around in obvious agony after an awkward collision, but later walked under his own power to the locker room. …
Wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith also injured his ankle and was forced from the game. He departed after catching two passes from quarterback Trey Lance for 24 yards, including an 18-yard gain. He also returned kickoffs along with running back Jaret Patterson in place of Derius Davis.