A re-watch of “The Rise Of Skywalker” revealed that I still like the movie. Heck, I would watch it a third time if given an opportunity.
Highlights from the Bears’ Week 16 contest against the Chiefs were few and far between, so the sharing of said highlights was virtually non-existent. But there was one play I kept coming back to watch over and over again. Here it is:
The 2019 season represents a “down” year for Mack. Unless he picks up 1.5 sacks on Sunday, this season will mark his first in which he hasn’t reached double figures since his rookie season in 2014. If he doesn’t pick up a pair of tackles-for-loss, this will be his first season ever with at least 10 TFLs. The 14 quarterback hits is still a respectable number, but it will represent his fewest since picking up just 12 in his first year as a pro. And yet, Mack is still a darn good defender. Mack’s 86.8 grade is the 12th best among edge defenders, but his 82.1 pass-rush grade and 81.9 run-defense grade both rank in the top-10. So Mack is still performing at a tip-top level in the most important phases of his job, it’s just that the 61.7 coverage grade is really dragging him down.
In an ideal scenario, Mack picks up two quick sacks of whoever is taking snaps for the Vikings, checks out, and flees harms way. But we don’t live in a perfect world, and I’m not sure Mack would want to play just to pad his stats. That doesn’t seem to be his style. Besides, he has bigger fish to fry:
Khalil Mack on if it's meaningful to reach double digit sacks: "Absolutely it means something, but, at the same at the same time, it's a whole other mindset that I'm in at this stage of my career as far as wanting to play in the playoffs and get to the championship. (Mack at 8.5)
At least Mack has the right mindset going into Week 17. The guy still wants to go out and perform, but has visions of a bigger, brighter future. While Mack leads, my hope is that the front office follows by making the right moves that will help him and his teammates reach championship glory.
Because of his importance to the big picture, I’m curious as to how much Mack will play on Sunday. Getting double-digit sacks and keeping the streak rolling for a fifth year would be neat, but the priority for Mack should be getting out of that game healthy. Full stop.
At least … the Bears … returned to consistency this year?
Life lessons about toilet paper, cereal pouring, the soda/pop wars gets a new entrant, and a special guest appearance in this week’s installment of “Big Guys in a Benz” on the Bears’ YouTube page:
What needs to happen for us to get a full season of “Big Guys in a Benz” featuring Anthony Miller and Spice Adams?
I’m going to tell my kids Dowell Loggains was our generation’s Bill Walsh:
What if I told you the most influential football play of the last decade came out of Dowell Loggains’ playbook?pic.twitter.com/yTsTztBUGu
Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.
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NEWSLETTER
