AFC Notes: Khalil Mack, Rashee Rice, Chargers, Chiefs, Raiders

Chargers

Chargers EDGE Khalil Mack said new HC Jim Harbaugh brings an understanding of how to win close games after losing several eight games by one possession. 

“Knowing what it took for you to lose those games, just having an understanding of the game, and knowing what plays lost you the game, knowing what situations lost you the game, like a two-minute drill at the end of the game,” Mack said, via ProFootballTalk. “Something simple can end up being so big at the end of the game. What Coach Harbaugh has done in being here not that long is to let you know the minute details that it takes to win those and finish those close games. I know that was the issue last year, and just knowing football, you know that’s a fixable thing.”

Chiefs

Chiefs WR Rashee Rice has made headlines with his off-field issues this offseason, while he also had an incident during his college career at SMU where Rice fired multiple bullets into the empty car belonging to SMU basketball player Kendric Davis, who was allegedly seeing Rice’s girlfriend at the time. When asked if the Chiefs were aware of the incident at SMU, HC Andy Reid responded they were comfortable enough to take Rice as a second-round pick in 2023. 

“The way I’d leave it with you is we knew enough to draft him, you know, and then we just went with the process and we, you know, we found that it was satisfactory for us,” Reid said, via ProFootballTalk. 

Reid refused to elaborate on the matter: “I’ll probably leave it right there. Yeah, I’ll leave it right there for you.”

Raiders

Raiders DE Tyree Wilson spent more time than usual lined up on the inside to end 2023 which yielded better results than expected. Las Vegas DC Patrick Graham believes the move was imperative to Wilson’s improvement.

“It teaches them to use their hands because they’re dealing with a more immediate block from the guard or the center,” Graham said, via Tashan Reed of The Athletic. “I thought that was really critical to Tyree’s development.”

Wilson explained how moving inside helped him process the game mentally.

“Me bumping inside really just slowed down the thinking and helped with my eyes and my hands,” Wilson said. “You really don’t have much time to think — it’s on you quick — so all you can do is react. And then when you work on the inside and then move back outside, everything slows back down.“