His teammates lamented Sunday’s result as they fought for the playoff win not only for the team, but for Mack specifically.
“He’s meant everything,” Tuli Tuipulotu said. “I feel like I wanted to get this win for him more than everybody. It sucks.”
Daiyan Henley added: “We got to get the job done. We have to get over that hump. I feel sick about it for guys like Khalil Mack. We wanted this for him, for sure.”
Mack appreciated the players’ sentiment and what it means to him as they push onward.
“Just like they’ve been saying their playing for me, I’ve been playing for them,” Mack said. “It’s disappointing not to be able to get that victory just knowing what we put in in the offseason and through the regular season.”
He later added: “It’s one of those things, we made a push, gave it everything we had. But you have to go to the drawing board sometimes, take a step back and see what it is everything can get better at … ultimately it’s all lessons.”
Mack hasn’t shied away from what his ultimate goal is in this later stage of his career — holding up the Lombardi Trophy.
Which is why retiring without a playoff win is something he said he would think about in his post-playing career, whenever that is.
“Yeah, just cause I’m naturally a competitor. It’s in me since I was a kid,” Mack said. “I grew up with my two other brothers and that’s all I know, competition. Competing and trying to be the best. You want to ultimately be a champion.”
The next few months will be big in determining what’s next for the future Hall of Famer.
“I’m going to figure it out. I’m going to take it day by day and figure it out,” Mack said. “I love this game, with the ups and the downs.
“It just makes you appreciate what you have to put in to win in this league,” Mack added. “It’s the ultimate game when it comes to the team and playing for your brothers.”