The debate about how much value Khalil Mack brings to the Chicago Bears off the stat sheet will finally be settled. Khalil Mack is expected to miss this week with an ankle injury, and the injury may also push him to the IR, sidelining him for three seasons.
Mack had been a warrior who played through almost everything, but it appears that Sunday was the last straw, and the team feels as though he needs to rest. This is devastating timing for the Bears, considering they are 3-4 and a half-game out of playoffs.
Beyond that, their losses have come to the Rams, Bucs, Browns, and Packers, four Super Bowl contenders, while they beat the Bengals and Raiders, who are up and coming. The team faced their most challenging part of the schedule and had a chance to make up ground on lesser teams, starting with the 2-4 49ers.
However, the team beat Cincy and Las Vegas on the backs of their defense, and specifically their pass rusher. The coverage unit has been up and down, but the pass rush has been deep and star-laden this season. They led the league in pressure rate on plays when they did not blitz, speaking to reliance on these names winning their matchups.
Now, the team sees Robert Quinn on the COVID-19 list. He may return but will not be able to practice for a few days. Beyond that, we do not know the effects of the virus on his body. Then, there is Akiem Hicks, who missed Sunday with a groin injury.
Hicks could be back as well, but he missed one game, came back, and then missed another, which is always a bad sign. He already tried to come back too soon, and the injury bug has followed him in the past couple of seasons.
Now, with Hicks unlikely to play, and Quinn hopeful of getting back for practice before the game, the team loses Khalil Mack. Three of their best players this season, all on the defensive line, could be out.
When you factor in that Bilal Nichols was just tossed from a game for losing his cool, and Eddie Goldman has been a shell of himself, the group that was supposed to be deep is now thin, and the star talent is gone.
The Bears won a couple of big games on the back of the defensive line that will no longer be able to carry them. Chicago Bears, who were hoping Sunday’s loss was the start of the downfall for the team, may have just got their wish.