Khalil Mack is one of the best football players in the NFL. Not just defensively. Overall. Only those with his skill level can affect games almost at will. People view him as mostly a pass rusher who wants to sack the quarterback. In truth, this doesn’t tell near the story of how dangerous he is. Unlike a lot of great pass rushers, Mack takes his game to an added level. While some just want to get the quarterback, he’s focused on something more important: the football. This is something Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is acutely aware of.
With the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings heading towards a big matchup on Sunday, Cousins got a chance to talk about what it’s like playing against Mack. Rather than give the usual answer on him being a great player and the team needs to be prepared, he told a story instead. One that paints a clear picture of the reputation Mack has built and how much respect his opponents pay him for what he can do.
Since joining the Bears in September of last year, Mack now has nine forced fumbles. Most of them coming at the expense of the opposing quarterback. He truly has turned it into an art form that was on full display last Monday in Washington. He strip-sacked Case Keenum twice and would’ve had a third if it weren’t called off due to a penalty. The man is an absolute machine. It’s little wonder Cousins is so wary of him.
Kirk Cousins will need his running game to do well on Sunday
One thing is for sure. The Vikings are hoping to enact their same game plan that has worked through the first three weeks. That is running the ball with Dalvin Cook. Teams haven’t stopped it yet as he’s averaged 6.6 yards per carry. However, the Bears run defense is by far the best they’ll face to date, ranking 5th in the NFL. Cousins has only been sacked twice, but he’s been hit nine times and pressured another 12 despite 63 total pass attempts.
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This paints a clear picture. If Minnesota can’t establish the run, they still don’t have the most reliable blocking to keep Cousins from getting harassed and harassed constantly. Mack dominated the Redskins on Monday night with 11 pressures and two sacks. He’ll be licking his chops at getting after Brian O’Neill and Riley Reiff on Sunday at what should be a raucous Soldier Field. At least we know what Cousins plans to do if it comes to that.
