The Chicago Bears disappointing 2021-22 season takes yet another turn for the worst as NFL insider, Ian Rapoport broke the news that superstar pass rusher, Khalil Mack, will undergo season-ending foot surgery. The News broke at 12:54 PM, not even 24 hours after the news broke of the Bears bringing in veteran pass rusher Bruce Irvin, as a possible hint that Mack might be out of service for the foreseeable future.
Furthermore, it was reported by Jason Lieser, a beat writer for the Chicago Bears, that Mack sustained the injury in Week 3, and then played through it for 4 games.
Bears will put star Khalil Mack on IR and he'll undergo season-ending foot surgery, NFLN reports. Mack got hurt in Week 3 and played through it for 4 more games.
— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) November 19, 2021
What happens next for the Chicago Bears with Khalil Mack out for the season?
With Mack out the Chicago Bears, they will likely turn to a mixture of Robert Quinn, Trevis Gipson, and the newly acquired Bruce Irvin for the heavy lifting of the snaps at EDGE. Quinn, who is in the midst of a monster bounceback 2021 season, after a lackluster 2020 season must be the leading force.
Bruce Irvin, who racked up 8.5 sacks in his last healthy NFL season could be a bounceback candidate too as he tries to earn himself a paycheck going into the 2022 season. Irvin is also coming fresh off a torn ACL which would be the reason why he was not picked up by a team in the offseason.
The most intriguing piece of the EDGE rushing rotation, Trevis Gipson is someone who has shown flashes of greatness and could be a long-term solution at EDGE for Chicago. Gipson who was a preseason standout was awarded the highest pass-rushing grade among EDGE defenders in the preseason by PFF (92.6) and then would rack up the highest grade among pass rushers in week 4 against Detriot.
Trevis Gipson had the highest pass-rushing grade (92.6) in the NFL this preseason
— PFF CHI Bears (@PFF_Bears) August 30, 2021
He finished with 1 sack, 3 hits and 6 hurries on 69 pass rushing snaps pic.twitter.com/D2ibDNdhSE
With the season already in question at a record of 3-6, the Chicago Bears and more specifically, Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace, cannot afford many more losses. The team has struggled and finds itself on a four-game losing streak. Beyond that, the team has not won a game after a bye week in seven years. It will be a struggle for the defense to help this team win as they have seen their defensive rankings fall from a top-10 defense down to below 20th.
Can the Chicago Bears win consistently without Khalil Mack? I guess we will see.