Chicago Bears: 5 biggest impacts of Khalil Mack deal

Quarterbacks of the North beware

While there was a lot of optimism surrounding the Bears this season — including yours truly — it was always somewhat tempered by the fact that they played in maybe the toughest division in football.

The Minnesota Vikings, with a dominant defense of their own, came within one game of making it to the Super Bowl and upgraded their quarterback position with Kirk Cousins. There is little that needs to be said about the quarterback in Green Bay. And while the Detroit Lions could take a step back this season, Matthew Stafford is still capable of putting up some gaudy numbers.

So while there was reason to be positive, there was also concern that the Bears were facing very good quarterbacks six times per year. But with the addition of Mack, the Bears have neutralized those team’s biggest advantage.

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This goes without saying, but in the NFL it is critical to win within your own division. This is something the Bears have been abysmal at in recent memory. However, the addition of Mack has significantly leveled the playing field.

With Mack, the odds of going into Green Bay on opening night and sneaking out of there with a victory don’t seem so daunting. In fact, you can now say that about almost any matchup the Bears have this season, with the exception of the New England Patriots game.

To some, this may seem like an over-exaggeration of the impact Mack will have. But you cannot overstate the impact of adding an elite player like Mack.