Chicago Bears: 5 Players who must shine vs. Raiders in Week 5

Khalil Mack needs to show the Raiders what they’re missing

Okay, so this week’s game is one that linebacker Khalil Mack has been dying to play. He was a star for the Raiders, the team that drafted him. He felt that the team didn’t appreciate the great accomplishments he had, and held out last preseason over a contract dispute.

In a way, Mack was correct because instead of agreeing to a new contract the Raiders decided that he was expendable. Oakland’s loss was the Bears’ gain. The Raiders shipped Mack to Chicago and he transformed the Bears defense from a good one to a great one, possibly an all-time great one at that.

While the Chicago Bears defense is chock full of stars, Mack is the star that shines the brightest. He is the engine that makes the defense run. He had six total tackles, a quarterback hit and one sack in the first two games and the defense looked good, not great. In the last two games, he also had six tackles, but added 3.5 sacks and three quarterback hits. The defense again looked like world-beaters.

Now Mack faces his former team for the first time. Every player wants to play well against his former team and I’m sure Mack is no different. The formula for this game is the same as it was for Week 4 against the Vikings — shut down the run and force their opposition to pass to beat them.

If that happens, Mack will be salivating. Pagano has shown he is an aggressive coach. The Bears are just a sack away from the league lead and are second in total points allowed. In addition, they’re starting to stack up in turnovers, forcing eight already.

If Carr has to constantly drop back and make a lot of throws, Mack and the Bears will have a great day. The Raiders’ offensive line won’t be able to handle this pass rush and Carr will get constantly get hit. The pressure will get to him. The Raiders’ passing attack ranks 26th in interceptions so if the pass rush gets in constantly there should be many opportunities for turnovers.

With Mack’s ability to separate the ball from the quarterback, Mack might have more than just one forced fumble. He should be in Carr’s (his best friend when the two were teammates) face all day and in his nightmares.