Malcolm Koonce had a career performance against the Chargers in Week 15. He recorded two sacks and a bunch of pressures on Easton Stick. Koonce has had a breakout season for the Raiders in Year 3, but no one expected him to have the type of game he had on Christmas Day.
In Week 16, Koonce recorded three sacks to go along with four tackles for a loss and four QB hits. He was part of a defense that allowed just 13 points to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in a game that KC needed to win.
In the first quarter, the Raiders held Mahomes to -23 passing yards. You read that right. -23 passing yards. The Chiefs finished the game with 223 yards on 49 dropbacks. The Raiders were constantly pressuring Mahomes and it’s a big reason why they were able to win a game despite not completing a single pass in the final three quarters.
The Raiders have been searching for someone to step up opposite of Maxx Crosby for years. And it appears that they’ve finally found a running mate. Koonce now has seven sacks on the season, but that doesn’t even tell the whole story. He’s been one of their best players in the second half of the season.
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