Football can be an ironic game. The Green Bay Packers were very interested in acquiring Khalil Mack from the Oakland Raiders. It turned out the asking price was too high and so the Raiders found another suitor for their best defensive player, the Packers long-standing rivals, the Chicago Bears. For the Packers, that meant that not only was Mack going to play in the division, but they would have to face him in Week 1 at Lambeau Field.
Many Packers players thought Mack would be joining their team.
Randall Cobb on his reaction to the Khalil Mack news:
“I thought he was coming here. I thought I was going to wake up and find out we had gotten him. Things happen…I was laying in bed, scrolling through Twitter. I was like, ‘Dang, man, we got to see him twice a year now.”
— Zach Heilprin (@ZachHeilprin) September 5, 2018
Instead, Mack will add juice and intensity to the NFL’s oldest rivalry.
“He’s a really good player,” Aaron Rodgers told Chicago reporters. “He’s a matchup problem, so you’re going to have to find ways to account for him in the passing game. He’s a really talented guy. He’s got a great motor. Very good player. And he’s a young guy [with] a lot of years left. So it’ll be definitely adding to the rivalry having him on the other side.”
Mack’s numbers speak for themselves. He has 36.5 sacks over the last three seasons including a career-best 15 in 2015. He was selected to the Pro Bowl after each of the last three seasons and was named as the AP’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2016.
The acquisition of Mack has clearly added to the Bears confidence. “I know those five guys can’t block Khalil Mack,” defensive end Akiem Hicks said in an interview posted on the Packers official Web site.
“I think the question every team is going to have is how do you block Khalil Mack, right?” Hicks told reporters. “And so him being there, it just gives me more freedom to have one-on-ones.”
This will be a challenge for a Packers team that rarely had its starting five offensive linemen together on the field during the preseason. When healthy, the Packers unit of Bryan Bulaga, Justin McCray, Corey Linsley, Lane Taylor and David Bakhtiari are a very respectable group. But they face a Chicago defense that got to the quarterback 42 times last season and just added Mack and first-round draft pick Roquan Smith to the mix.
The Packers are fortunate to be facing the Bears in Week 1 instead of later in the season. Mack has barely had any practice time and is likely to only see the field in obvious passing situations. He played defensive end for the Raiders last season but will be employed primarily at outside linebacker in Vic Fanzio’s 3-4 set. There will be an adjustment and a learning curve.
In addition, Mack missed all of training camp. He may be in shape, but he hasn’t been hit and gotten into “football shape” yet. So, instead of facing the Bears newest star for almost every down, they will see him for about 25 plays on Sunday night. Expect the Bears move him around to try to create mismatches and confusion for Rodgers and the Green Bay offensive front.
The Packers respect Mack’s abilities and are aware of the challenge he presents. “We spent a lot of time watching tape on Mack (Sunday), and obviously (he’s) an extraordinary player, and it’s an excellent addition to their football team,” admitted head coach Mike McCarthy.
McCarthy usually prefers not to offer help to his offensive tackles in pass blocking, but that may have to change if the Bears are able to get consistent pressure on Rodgers. Protecting their quarterback is likely the biggest key to victory for the Pack on Sunday.
Rodgers has been very effective against the Bears in his career, beating Chicago 15 times in 19 starts. He has completed 409 of 604 passes (67.7 percent) for 4,596 yards and has tossed 42 touchdowns against just nine interceptions. But he can’t be that effective if he doesn’t have enough time to throw the football.
The Khalil Mack era begins Sunday night at Lambeau Field. It’s the Packers job to make sure it doesn’t begin with a bang.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
