Raiders' Khalil Mack named league's defensive player of the year

Khalil Mack’s standout 2016 season was honored Wednesday when the Professional Football Writers of America named him Defensive Player of the Year.

Mack, who tied an NFL record when he recorded a sack in eight consecutive games, became the first Raiders player to earn that honor since the PFWA began awarding it in 1992.

The third-year edge rusher finished the season tied for eighth in the NFL with 11.0 sacks. He had a career-high five forced fumbles and three recoveries and added the first interception and touchdown of his career when he had a pick-six of Carolina’s Cam Newton in Week 12.

He sealed that victory against the Panthers with a strip sack that he recovered, making him the first player in seven seasons to have a sack, interception return for a touchdown, forced fumble and fumble recovery in the same game.

Mack was named the AFC’s Defensive Player of the Month for November, which included that game against Carolina. A week later, he sealed another victory when he strip-sacked Buffalo’s Tyrod Taylor and recovered the ball to allow the Raiders to run out the majority of the clock in a 38-24 win.

His 73 tackles were second on the team behind only linebacker Malcolm Smith and he had a career-high 11 stops in the Raiders’ wild-card playoff loss to the Houston Texans - Oakland’s first playoff appearance since 2002. Pro Football Focus credited him with a league-best 96 quarterback pressures.

Mack was one of seven Raiders who were named to the Pro Bowl - his second straight selection - although he will sit out the Jan. 29 game in Orlando, Fla., due to injury. He also this week was named to the PFWA’s All-NFL and All-AFC teams and was a first-team Associated Press All-Pro pick as well. The AP’s Defensive Player of the Year will be announced at the NFL Honors the night before Super Bowl LI in Houston.

Cornerback Lester Hayes in 1980 is the only Raiders player to have won the NFL’s top defensive honor. He was named by both the AP and Pro Football Weekly, which later merged its awards with the PFWA in 1992. The PFWA took over the awards on its own in 2013. Hayes in 1980, cornerback Mike Haynes in 1984 and defensive end Howie Long (tied in 1985) also previously won DPOY awards from the now-defunct Newspaper Enterprise Association.