Chicago Bears edge rusher Khalil Mack personally welcomed Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie tackle Tristan Wirfs to the NFL on Thursday night.
Wirfs — a former Iowa Hawkeyes star whom Tampa Bay selected with the no. 13 overall pick draft to protect quarterback Tom Brady — was ragdolled into the ground by Mack during the third quarter after getting beaten on the edge, leading to a sack by the former Defensive Player of the Year.
Khalil Mack makes his presence felt. 💪 @FiftyDeuce
📺: #TBvsCHI on NFLN/FOX/PRIME
📱: https://t.co/W5bCPYgMfo pic.twitter.com/52IN9hCVxP— NFL (@NFL) October 9, 2020
The Bears (4-1) held off the Buccaneers (3-2), 20-19, at Soldier Field.
Mack was his typically dominant self, recording two sacks, three hits on Brady, one pass deflection, and one rite of passage body slam. In total, defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano's unit registered eight hits on the 43-year old QB and knocked down six passes. Brady seemed noticeably rattled by the action in the backfield, evidenced by him forgetting how to count by the end of the game.
After the game, Mack reacted to his domination of Wirfs. For Mack, it was just par for the course.
“I can’t explain that man, it just happens,” Mack said. “I play the game very physical and it just so happens that he was holding onto me and I had to get him off.”
Overall, Wirfs has impressed in his first NFL season. In his debut in Week 1, Wirfs allowed just one pressure in 29 matchups going up against New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan. The following week, Pro Football Focus awarded Wirfs as the highest-graded offensive rookie after his performance against the Carolina Panthers. In Week 3, he didn't lose one of his eight matchups against Denver Broncos defensive end Bradley Chubb.
He did not have the same success against Khalil Mack.
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