Chicago Bears: 3 reasons why Khalil Mack makes the Bears a playoff team

Mack is the superstar that the Bears previously lacked

In dozens of preseason power rankings and analysis, a common knock against the Bears was that they lacked a “star”, and that the defense was just a group of “good” players.

That has all changed as of Saturday. As aforementioned, Mack is one of, if not the best defensive player in the NFL.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1035879611190501376

Looking at past Bears seasons, there’s evidence to back up the old claim that lacking a superstar is a knock against a team as a whole.

Since the 2014-15 season, the Bears have gone three consecutive seasons without having a player selected (excluding reserves) to the Pro-Bowl. During that span, the Bears are a combined 14-34.

Add Khalil Mack, and the Bears have a perennial Pro-Bowler. Mack will be the Bears clear leader on the field, something that the Bears have had a glaring shortage of in recent years.

Additionally, Mack’s pure dominance changes the way that the Bears defense is looked at by the league as a whole. Mack is certainly the Bears most dominant defensive player since recent Hall-of-Fame inductee Brian Urlacher, and is likely the Bears first Pro-Bowler on defense since Charles Tillman in 2014.

Every playoff team has a superstar. Whether it be a franchise quarterback, Pro-Bowl running back or All-Pro defender, every team needs a superstar in order to play past December. Now, the Bears have their superstar.