It’s been a long time since the Bears have had a truly elite pass rusher in their midst. With all due respect to Julius Peppers, who is going into the Hall of Fame after he retires, sacking the quarterback was never his true specialty. The most he ever had in a season was 14.5. Good but not otherworldly. Khalil Mack, by comparison, had 15 in just his second year. Now he’s on track for far more.
Not only that, but the 27-year old superstar may be taking aim at a franchise record. One a lot of people probably thought wouldn’t be touched. When asked who the greatest pass rusher in Bears history is, most young fans might say Peppers. They’d be wrong. That honor goes to Hall of Fame defensive end Richard Dent.
Not only does he hold the all-time record for career sacks with 124.5. He also has held the single-season mark with 17.5 sacks, claimed during his breakout 1984 season. That was the season that set him on a path to Canton and also towards his iconic run a year later in 1985 that culminated in him winning Super Bowl MVP. He had 23 sacks total that season.
For 33 years that mark hasn’t been touched. In fact, since Dent retired it hasn’t even been threatened. The closest anybody got was Mark Anderson in 2006 when he had 12. At last the Bears have a legitimate challenger to the crown.
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Khalil Mack on pace to shatter Dents’ single-season sack mark
The presence of Mack has changed the outlook for every notable Bears defensive record moving forward. None more so than quarterback sacks. Most people are focused on the fact he has four strip-sack in each of his first four games, which is amazing. However, hidden beneath that is the fact he has five sacks total in those four games. That puts him on pace for 20 sacks in 2018, which would shatter the old mark set by Dent.
That’s not it. Of the 10 teams that have allowed the most sacks thus far this season, the Bears will play five of them in the coming weeks. This will include two rookie quarterbacks in New York and Buffalo along with a backup in San Francisco. Those will be prime feasting opportunities for Mack, who’s been known to take over games in the past. One must not forget his five-sack performance against Denver.
There’s no telling where this season will go, but if Mack were to break such a coveted record help by an ’85 Bear the stature of Dent. That would put the trade to get him into the category of maybe greatest in franchise history.
