The Chicago Bears defense got absolutely torched by Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this past Sunday.
The final score was 38-3 on a day when Justin Fields looked lost.
Any game in which a defense plays so poorly is a cause for concern.
Unfortunately for Bears fans, the news is only getting worse when it comes to star linebacker Khalil Mack.
#Bears LB Khalil Mack had a five-game sack streak snapped on Sunday. His foot isn’t right. The hope is giving him some rest will help. Stay tuned. https://t.co/Y2sxc4ROxY
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 27, 2021
Mack being out for one game in general is bad news.
Him going on IR is a nightmare scenario as this Bears team looks to remain in playoff contention.
Defense Expected To Carry The Team
The Bears offense is averaging just over 14 points per game.
That obviously makes it nearly impossible for the team to win on a regular basis, no matter how well the defense performs.
So far this season Mack is doing his job with six sacks and 19 total tackles.
However, him playing with a foot injury may not be wise if he will only be slowed down and hurting a defense that already has to try to be perfect.
Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace are thus left with a tough decision.
They can either take this on a weekly basis, or decide to shut down Mack for a minimum of three weeks.
It may all depend on their outlook for the season.
If they believe it is all about Fields’ development, they can give Mack some rest.
But if they are set on chasing the playoffs in order to ensure job security, they may want to reevaluate the defender’s status every week.
The fact Mack is injured at all puts a huge dark cloud over the Bears even at 3-4.
The fact that Khalil Mack has not only been playing through injury, but has been playing as well as he has, says a lot about him as a player.
This is obviously a rough loss for the #Bears. Hope he recovers well these next 3-4 weeks.
— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) October 27, 2021
The team has a winnable game Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, but not having their star linebacker on the field could be the difference between winning and losing if the offense fails to show up again.
Then again, the Bears may be doomed no matter what if the offense keeps struggling.
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