The Chicago Bears haven't had the season that they expected, sitting at 5-6 in the first 11 games of 2019. Despite the offense's well-documented struggles, Khalil Mack has continued to be one of the NFL's most dominant defensive players.
Last year, Mack was traded to the Bears from the Oakland Raiders. The freakish edge rusher immediately made his mark on the defense, with 12.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, 18 quarterback hits, and six forced fumbles.
While his numbers aren't the same as last season, Mack is still wreaking havoc on opposing offenses. So what letter grade does Mack deserve in his first 11 games of the 2019 season?
Mack's Grade through the first 11 games: B+
Through the first 11 games of the season, Mack has tallied 6.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hits, and five forced fumbles. At first glance, those numbers aren't anything to be impressed by when it comes to a player of Mack's caliber.
But throughout the entire season, opposing teams are beginning to double-team or even triple-team the All-Pro pass rusher. Even with that being the case, Mack is still finding ways to make plays that don't show up in the box score.
While Mack is grabbing the attention of teams, there are other players on Chicago's defense that are getting more opportunities. In addition, the Bears' offense under Matt Nagy isn't having the same success it did in 2018.
As a result, Mack and the defense are on the field more this year and are put into terrible situations. Mitchell Trubisky and the offense have given teams plenty of chances to have the ball in great field position. Thus, making Mack and the defense look vulnerable in certain moments.
If people forgot how dominant Mack is, he showed his worth on Sunday. On a play that three offensive linemen got their hands on Mack, the Bears' outside linebacker bulldozed his way towards Daniel Jones.
Khalil Mack ran through 3 different linemen to flush Daniel Jones out of the pocket and force an incompletion pic.twitter.com/r0yIdmLF8E
— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) November 24, 2019
Along with this play, Mack finished with the game with a sack, three tackles, two quarterback hits, and a forced fumble. This was a performance to remind everyone just how much of a game-wrecker he can be every single week.
With that being said, the consistency of Mack's level of play hasn't been there for the entire season. As a result, he gets a B+ grade for his first 11 games of the 2019 season.
Nevertheless, Mack will likely end the season with double-digit sacks for his fifth consecutive season and possibly a career-high in forced fumbles.
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