Chicago Bears: 3 Big takeaways from Week 3 win vs. Cardinals

Mack wants to prove the Bears made a great choice

Yes, it sounds like a broken record — trading for and signing Khalil Mack was a game-changer for the Chicago Bears. Each week we keep talking about how great he is and how he’s changing the team’s fortunes. He did it again in Arizona.

Mack doubled his sack output for the season with his two sacks. Again, he led the way and changed the course of the game. Early on, the Cardinals did a pretty good job of bottling him up. They doubled and even triple-teamed him to keep him out of the Cardinals’ backfield. It wasn’t enough, however.

Late in the first half, all the attention Mack received helped Akiem Hicks get through and sack and force a fumble. Arizona recovered but you could see the Bears front starting to wear down the Cardinals’ offensive line. After Trubisky’s interception, Mack came in and got a sack to end Arizona’s drive.

In the second half, it was all Chicago Bears defense. They got three interceptions, but Mack’s forced fumble set up the game-winning field goal. The Cardinals were marching downfield and were deep inside the Bears side of the field. The Bears front line flushed Sam Bradford out. He started running but wasn’t in a position to slide. Mack came over and knocked the ball out and Danny Trevathan fell on it. The Bears marched down themselves and ultimately got the game-winning field goal.

For the season, Mack now has four sacks, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, an interception (run back for a touchdown) and a pass defended. He’s the leading candidate to win the Defensive Player of the Year again. He’s proving with each game that the Oakland Raiders made a huge mistake. While Oakland is 0-3, the Bears are in first place and Mack has helped turn this defense into an elite unit.

While it’s still early and anything can still happen, the Chicago Bears are on the way up. If they clean some things up on offense, they could shock the NFL world.