Most of the focus going into training camp will be on the Chicago Bears offense. This is not going to shock anybody. Nor should it. That unit finished 29th in the NFL last season. It was far and away the primary reason the team went 8-8 and missed the playoffs. That said, there should be a lot of excitement around the defense too. Especially Khalil Mack.
Here’s why.
Under normal conditions, the 29-year old is almost a force of nature. A one-man wrecking machine who can go off for multiple sacks in a game at the drop of a hat. So what happens when those conditions suddenly alter almost exclusively in his favor?
Does anybody remember the movie The Perfect Storm? If not it’s based off a book detailing how a crazy sequence of events in 1991 led to multiple weather fronts colliding off the Atlantic coast, creating an ultra-power cyclone that created waves up to 100-feet tall.
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Something similar to that is happening with the Bears this offseason, and it could have the sort of impact that pushes Mack to finally take down Richard Dent’s record of 17.5 sacks in a single-season.
Several factors could lead Khalil Mack to alter Bears record books
A chip on the shoulder
Don’t think for a second Mack hasn’t heard the noise. Lots of people have started to question whether he is one of the best pass rushers in the NFL anymore. This after a somewhat lackluster 2019 where he managed 8.5 sacks. Well below his customary range. Much of this had to do with factors out of his control. Not playing with a lot of leads. Getting constantly double and triple-teamed. He was also playing with an undisclosed injury.
Mack isn’t one to make excuses, but he also doesn’t forget. He’s heard the haters loud and clear. One can bet money he has a colossal chip on his shoulder going into 2020.
The return of Akiem Hicks
Make no mistake. Mack missed the big defensive a lot last year. Without Hicks providing interior pressure, it allowed offenses to focus entirely on him. Nobody else was able to step up. How significant is this pairing? When Hicks is on the field, Mack has 17 sacks in 21 games. In the remaining 11 games, he has four sacks. This stat is profoundly telling.
So knowing that Hicks is recovered from his elbow injury last season and should be 100% by the start of the regular season? This enhances the odds of Mack getting back to being that terror off the edge.
Arrival of Robert Quinn
Having Hicks back would be enough to believe Mack cracks double digits in the sack column once again this year. Where it gets truly frightening is knowing Robert Quinn is coming to town. The veteran pass rusher is fresh off 11.5 sacks last season. He has 90 for his career and is widely viewed as one of the top pass disruptors in the league when healthy.
Understand that Mack had 15 sacks in 2015. The next best pass rusher on that Oakland Raiders team? Malcolm Smith with four. The best #2 guy he’s ever played with is Bruce Irvin. Decent player but not on Quinn’s level. Keep this in mind. In the five games Leonard Floyd managed to produce a sack between 2018 and 2019, Mack had 5.5 sacks combined in those contests. Twice he had at least two sacks.
This isn’t just fan bluster. The circumstances coming together in 2020 are exceedingly rare. Enough to where if good health prevails, Khalil Mack has a chance to break a record that has stood for 36 years.
