NEWSLETTER
If you can find it on a stat sheet (and it’s a good thing), there’s a good chance Khalil Mack has done it for the Bears in 2018.
That includes five sacks, four forced fumbles (one recovery), four tackles-for-loss, six quarterback hits, a pick-six, and a league-leading 24 pressures. At this point, it might be easier to point out the things Mack hasn’t done, if such things actually exist. The only thing we could be possibly missing here are the un-quantifiable stats. Like how much better he makes his teammates because he is being double-teamed and triple-teamed, how his presence on one side of the field causes team to run plays away from him, or how his ability to create pressure forces the ball to come out too hot and leads to a turnover for someone in the secondary.
At this rate, it won’t be long until we get the ball rolling on Mack’s case for the league’s Most Valuable Player award. Because why stop at Defensive Player of the Year, am I right? I mean, if you’re going to dream, do it big.
The Ringer’s Riley McAtee laid out a six-step plan for Mack to capture the NFL’s MVP award and Peter King of NBC Sports included Mack on his watch list of early-season MVP candidates to watch after Week 3. The campaign is starting to build momentum, but we can’t let it slide just because the Bears are on a bye this week.
Mack’s road to winning the MVP isn’t paved with gold bricks, as every defensive candidate for the coveted award must navigate through history suggesting that it’s simply not in the cards. No defensive player has won the MVP since Lawrence Taylor did it in 1986 while playing for the New York Giants. To say history suggests this is an offensive player’s award is an understatement. Just take a look at a recent snapshot that shows quarterbacks have won the award in five consecutive seasons and in 10 of the last 11 years.
But if a defensive player was going to have a shot at pulling it off, it’s Mack … right? I mean, if the game’s most valuable/important player is the quarterback, then the only player who might be able to make a run at that award who isn’t a quarterback is someone who can bring them down. That’s where Mack might make his case.
After four games, Mack is on pace for 20 sacks, 16 forced fumbles, four recoveries, 40 quarterback hits, and 96 pressures. Those are some hilariously awesome stats that should merit some MVP conversation if Mack continues to play at this pace. Not bad for a guy who didn’t participate in offseason training activities, summer training camp, or preseason exhibitions. Maybe it’s not that crazy to think that more could be on the horizon now that Mack has whipped himself into playing shape. Giggity.
