Chuck Pagano has been hearing all sorts of remarks on Khalil Mack for weeks. The Chicago Bears defensive coordinator has defended his superstar player throughout that time. Mack only had one sack over a five-game span at one point. People were starting to wonder if he was slipping. It took everything Pagano had not to laugh at such comments. People weren't paying attention to the crazy lengths opposing offenses were going to in order to neutralize him.
Finally last Sunday against the New York Giants, the opportunity arrived. The Giants inexplicably left him one-on-one in a number passing situations. The results were predictable. He sacked and forced a fumble of Daniel Jones that ended up leading to a Bears touchdown. He also had multiple other pressures including a near-safety that forced a key incompletion late in the game.
He looked every bit like Khalil Mack. So one can imagine Pagano was more than happy to discuss him at his latest press conference. The coordinator not only described how surprised and thrilled he was that New York single-blocked him, but he then proceeded to drop a stat to end all stats. A big reminder of just how impactful Mack can be.
Chuck Pagano knows what he's talking about
In other words, the Bears are undefeated in their previous seven games when Mack has been able to deliver a strip-sack. That's pretty impressive. It's clearer than ever that this defense and this team is driven to greater heights whenever he's able to take over football games. It hasn't happened much lately but that's not entirely his faults. Offenses have been able to avoid him a lot more often because they haven't played from behind nearly as often. Also not having Akiem Hicks to help with the pass rush is big too.
Despite all of that, he still has 6.5 sacks with five games to play. That's good production. Maybe not the otherworldly pace some expected, but it's still better than the Bears have traditionally gotten in years past. Mack remains exactly what he was. A force that opponents have to game plan to stop. The defense is still one of the best in the NFL. Pagano is trying to remind everybody of this fact. Find someone else to blame.
