CHICAGO – Raiders edge rusher Khalil Mack does most everything well. He’s excellent against the run, bullish against pass protectors and surprisingly agile in coverage.

The Raiders prefer he attack with regularity and cause havoc in the backfield, but they don’t care where he starts the play. He was a prototypical defensive end most of the first two games. During Sunday’s victory over the Cleveland Browns, Mack played mostly standing up wide off the edge opposite Aldon Smith.

The switch worked wonders, for a week at least. Mack had two sacks, two other quarterback hits and three pressures. He had a forced fumble and was in Cleveland’s backfield regularly in the 27-20 win.

Mack talked about the what. Not much about the how.

“I was just freestyling, man,” Mack said with a smile.

No. 52 knows better than to discuss alignments, blitz concepts and procedure while working under a coaching staff that doesn’t like talking about scheme.

We didn’t need press-conference affirmation to see that the Raiders used a lot of 3-4 defensive concepts operating from that alignment against Cleveland, with Mack and Smith on the edge and Dan Williams, a nose tackle, flanked by Stacy McGee and C.J. Wilson or Justin Tuck.

They frequently rushed five men from that set, leaving inside linebackers Malcolm Smith and Curtis Lofton in support.

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It worked. The Raiders tallied five sacks, seven quarterback hits and 10 other pressures. There were other factors involved – playing with a lead, forcing the opponent to pass, doesn’t hurt; coverage was better and the quarterback took longer to throw – but this is a bottom-line business. The Raiders got pressure against the Browns. They didn’t get much against the Ravens and Bengals.

Whether that formation works into heavy rotation remains a mystery.

“Without getting into scheme, we want to have multiple looks,” defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. said. “Obviously, you want to have the defense work to your personnel. So far, so good as far as the defense working, the personnel applying to the defense. Having multiple looks is something that we like.”

The new Raiders coaching staff is only three game weeks old. That goes for Norton in his first foray as a play-caller. With multiple looks and varied game plans, it’s hard to get a read on what the Raiders will do defensively. That’s the way Norton and head coach Jack Del Rio prefer it.

“We make you game plan for a whole bunch of looks,” defensive tackle Justin Ellis said. “Other teams have to do that because we can move pieces around to different spots. The coaches really like to tailor their game plans each week, and they’ve done a great job of putting the guys in position to make plays. You never know what they’re going to come up with next.”

Before the Week 3 victory at Cleveland, Norton said he’s still trying to figure out what the defense does well. Maybe Norton found something against Cleveland. Rushing five worked, and generated the volume and style of pressure that can be disruptive.

“When it’s five rushers and five protectors, somebody’s got to win,” Mack said. “…(Against Cleveland) Defensive backs gave us time and the right plays were called and we were able to be effective. We want to have the mindset that we can takeover games with our front five, our front four or however many guys we bring.”

A 3-4 alignment, no matter how much pressure the Raiders bring, seems to fit their talent well.

Coming in as a linebacker off the edge is what Smith does well. Mack can fit in any scheme, but is comfortable standing up off the edge, while both become ends in the nickel and dime packages.

“It doesn’t matter where I line up,” Mack said. “I’m just trying to make a play.”

Norton sees growth in his pass rush, especially with Smith getting integrated just before the regular season. He also credits coverage for buying extra time for the front to make an impact.

“When you have guys that are covering the way we are, learning the way we are and now you have the rush coming together and putting pressure on the quarterback,” Norton said, “the combination of the two has always been a plus.” It’s all about putting people in position to succeed.