The Chicago Bears defense has struggled to hold on to leads in recent weeks as they have lost two of their last three games by allowing opponents game-winning scores in the final minute of their losses. One reason for the defensive struggle has been the loss of All-Pro linebacker Khalil Mack to a season-ending foot injury. Both Mack and defensive end Robert Quinn were on pace to achieve something that hasn’t happened in 28 seasons for the Bears.

#Bears lead NFL with 18 sacks and are only team with two players in top 10: Khalil Mack (5.0) is tied for sixth, while Robert Quinn (4.5) is tied for 10th.

— Larry Mayer (@LarryMayer) October 13, 2021

The Sack Tandem Of Quinn And Mack Were On The Verge Of Becoming Unstoppable

Since acquiring Mack via a blockbuster trade from the Oakland Raiders in 2018, general manager Ryan Pace has been trying to pair someone with the All-Pro sack machine. Following Leonard Floyd’s disappointing departure from the Bears after the 2019 season, Pace signed former All-Pro Quinn to pair with Mack and defensive tackle Akiem Hicks. The Bears planned to have a pass rusher take advantage of all the opposing offense attention in stopping Chicago’s linebacker.

Pace’s plan initially failed last season as Quinn played poorly due to a significant foot injury that hampered his effectiveness to rush the quarterback. The defensive end finished with only two sacks and a forced fumble last season compared to Mack’s nine sacks and three forced fumbles. In the past three years, the All-Pro linebacker has led the Bears in sacks.

Robert Quinn knocks it loose
Khalil Mack scoop
Khalil Mack lateral to Eddie Jacksonpic.twitter.com/McLZ0tza3A

— Bears Talk (@NBCSBears) October 3, 2021

This season, it appeared as if the plan had finally come to fruition as Mack and Quinn combined for 11.5 sacks in the Bears’ first six games of the season. Through those six games, Chicago led the NFL in sacks with 21. Since the loss of Mack following the Bears’ week seven blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the defense has registered 11 sacks, with five and half coming from Quinn.

Quinn has carried the Bears defense as he has taken over Mack’s role as the defensive’s primary pass rush. Chicago’s defensive end was awarded for his excellent performance in November by being named NFC Defensive Player of the Month. Although Quinn’s bounce-back season is great to see, it is unfortunate that the Bears’ defense can’t see what could have happened if Mack stayed healthy.

Robert Quinn is the first @ChicagoBears NFC Defensive Player of the Month since Eddie Jackson in 2018! pic.twitter.com/uB5YqgdzYE

— ESPN 1000 (@ESPN1000) December 2, 2021

Mack And Quinn Were On Pace To Make Bears’ History.

Other than the defense losing an All-Pro talent in Mack for more than half a season, Chicago also missed out on witnessing defensive history. The Bears’ two defensive pass rushers were on pace to finish with double-digit sack totals. The achievement would be the first time that two Bears’ defensive players recorded double-digit sacks since 1993. During the 1993 Bears’ season, defensive ends Richard Dent and Trace Armstrong combined for 24 sacks. Dent would finish with 12.5 sacks while Armstrong finished with 11.5 sacks. Since then, no Chicago defensive duo has come close to reaching that sack amount.

The #Bears haven’t had a player finish in the top 5 in sacks since Richard Dent in 1987.

Robert Quinn is currently tied for 4th in the NFL with 11 sacks. His redemption year has been incredible. pic.twitter.com/nmO5vPrHnP

— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) November 30, 2021

Both Mack and Quinn were on pace to achieve the feat given their sack totals through Chicago’s first six games of the season this year, along with Quinn’s current hot streak. Although Chicago’s 11.5 sacks in their last three games have come against quarterbacks that have struggled significantly to avoid getting sacked, it is intriguing to see what could have been achieved had the Bears’ defense been at full strength.

In all likelihood, had Mack currently still been healthy, he would have racked up multiple sacks in the three-game stretch against quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger, Tyler Hundley, and Jared Goff. Chicago could have been witnessed to one of the best sack seasons by a pair of defensive players since the Miami Dolphins in 2000. In the 2000 Dolphins’ season, former Bears’ defensive end Armstrong partnered with Hall of Fame defensive end Jason Taylor to record 31 sacks. Both defensive ends each had over 14 sacks.

.@Browns DE @MylesLGarrett has 9 sacks & 4 FFs in 2020.

He could join Trace Armstrong (2000) as the only players since 1999 with 10+ sacks & 5+ FFs in their team's 1st 8 games of a season.

He can also become the 5th player since 1982 with 40+ sacks through 45 career games. pic.twitter.com/gONM99Dpeb

— NFL345 (@NFL345) October 31, 2020

Had Mack stayed healthy, the Bears most likely are in playoff contention as they do not lose their games against the Steelers and Ravens. In both the bears’ recent losses, Chicago’s defense failed to prevent game-winning scores by the opposing offenses. On those scoring drives by Baltimore and Pittsburgh’s offenses, Chicago’s defense failed to register a sack on either drive. If the Bears prevented the game-winning scores, their record would be at 6-5 instead of 4-7, and they would be in the NFC Playoffs.

The key to the Bears’ defensive success this season was their pass rush with both Mack and Quinn. Since the loss of the All-Pro linebacker over a month ago, Chicago has struggled to prevent opposing offenses from scoring when it matters the most. Outside of the Bears’ record, Chicago fans lost a chance to see something special had Mack stayed healthy as the tandem with Quinn was close to yielding historic sack numbers for the Bears.