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

The Bears ripped Mack right out of the Packers’ hands

In the days leading up to the move, several teams were rumored to have been in deep contention for Mack. Among those teams, and perhaps the most interested in Mack, was the Green Bay Packers.

The Bears play the Packers, their dreaded division rival, on Week One of the season. Past just one game, the Mack move gives the Bears a huge advantage over the Packers.

With Mack, the Packers’ defense is probably better than the Bears unit. Now, the Bears clearly have the better defense, and its not even close.

Without Mack, the front-seven remains a weakness in Green Bay. Clay Matthews is aging, and linebackers Jake Ryan and Oren Burks are expected to miss serious time, with Ryan out for the season with a torn ACL.

The addition of Mack also gives the Bears a load of momentum going into week one, when they’ll face off against the Packers on Sunday night in Green Bay. The Bears, whose Super Bowl odds jumped from 100-1 to 40-1, are now potential favorites in the game.

But past week one, the Bears winning the Mack sweepstakes will gives the Bears benefits throughout the season, while the Packers still lack any sort of depth on defense.

While Mack gives the Bears a major boost on defense, taking him away from a division rival and fellow playoff contender makes the move even more sweeter. The road to the playoffs certainly runs through Green Bay, but now that road looks a big more clear after Saturday’s trade.

Only eight more days remain before the Bears kick off the 2018 season on Sunday night in Green Bay. The addition of Khalil Mack only makes it more difficult to wait for Sunday night.