In the first quarter of the Bears' season opener, Khalil Mack burst past Packers left guard Billy Turner, causing Aaron Rodgers to step up in the pocket.
Mack's teammate, Leonard Floyd, finished the play by sacking Green Bay's star quarterback, forcing the Packers to punt from deep in their own territory.
Mack received no credit on the stat sheet but the relentless All-Pro pass rusher had a major impact on the end result—just like he does on most snaps.
"He's on another level right now," said coach Matt Nagy. "He affects every single play. It doesn't matter if he makes the play or not, he affects it. Every game I've watched this year already so far, he dominates. Whether it's getting a holding call or going after the football, there are turnovers that are occurring. He's allowing other guys to play well too."
After three games this season, Mack leads the Bears with three sacks, three forced fumbles and four tackles-for-loss. His three forced fumbles are tied for the most in the NFL and his 17 forced fumbles since 2015 are tops in the league.
"Through the course of three ballgames and the amount of plays that he's played, a regular human being, regular football player would be [involved in] 40 to maybe 50 percent on plays whether he had a tackle on it or an assist because he wasn't at the point of attack," said defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano. "He's in the low 80 percentile, which is off the charts."
Mack joined the Bears just before the start of last season via a blockbuster trade with the Oakland Raiders. He was selected first-team All-Pro and voted to the Pro Bowl after leading the team with 12.5 sacks, a career-high six forced fumbles and 18 quarterback hits. He also ranked second on the team with 10 tackles-for-loss.
Mack has been just as impressive off the field. Asked what the four-time Pro Bowler is like in meetings and film study, Pagano said: "Just quiet. Engaged. Very intentional. Very deliberate. Takes his notes. He doesn't say much. He's a quiet guy, but he's taking it all in. He's always prepared. He's just a special, special dude. He's a great player, but he's a great teammate."
Nagy described Mack as "a chill dude."
"He just does his thing and he leads by his actions," said the Bears coach. "He's not a rah-rah guy, but he has fun. He's focused. He finishes every single rep in practice. It doesn't matter where the ball goes. If it's a pass down the field 30 yards, he turns around and he runs. He does it every play. That's the practice part. I don't see all these guys all the time in here when they're in the building, I just know that from what I do see he's pretty chill."
