AP

It’s been a while since we’ve heard opposing teams express concern about facing the Raiders defense, something Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson knows all too well after spending a year as Oakland’s head coach.

Jackson is preparing to face the Raiders this Sunday and says it will be a “tremendous challenge” for his offense to come out on top this weekend. He credited defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. with getting the team moving in the right direction and saved special mention for defensive end Khalil Mack, whose preseason performance marked him as a player ready to break out in a major way during his second season.

“He’s fast, he’s sudden, he’s strong, he’s got spin moves, he’s got karate moves. The guy is a rolling ball of butcher knives,” Jackson said, via ESPN.com. “He can play.”

Picking Mack and wide receiver Amari Cooper in the first round of the last two drafts and adding quarterback Derek Carr in the second round last year has provided a jolt of optimism about the arrival of long-awaited better days for the Raiders. Opening the season and coach Jack Del Rio’s tenure with a win against a 2014 playoff club would push that needle even further.