Chicago Bears: Khalil Mack called the LeBron of the NFL

It’s hard to explain to people just what Khalil Mack has meant to the Chicago Bears since his unexpected arrival back in September.

Up until that point, most people felt they had a good gauge on what this team would be. They expected considerable improvement from their 5-11 run in 2017. Maybe somewhere along the lines of 8-8 or 9-7. A strong step in the right direction for a young team that was finally building into something but not quite ready to join other teams like the Rams, Eagles, and Saints atop the NFC.

Apparently that didn’t sit well with GM Ryan Pace. He had confidence in the group he’d spent four offseasons building but still felt they were one bold move away from bringing it all together. So without blinking, and with a huge assist from a willing Oakland Raiders organization, he sent a large package of draft picks including two 1st rounders to them in exchange for the former Defensive Player of the Year.

People knew the Bears were getting a star, but just how much could he actually improve the team as a whole. Well, they’re now 11-4 having locked up the division championship and the defense ranks 3rd in points allowed and 4th overall. Their first top 5 unit since 2012. Suffice to say? A lot.

Khalil Mack has become the new MJ (or LeBron) for Chicago

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Adam Rank of NFL.com decided to make some comparisons between top NBA players and their pro football counterparts. He had some good ones including Nick Foles and Andre Iguodala or Antonio Brown and James Harden. However, who did he save for the main man himself LeBron James? None other than Mr. Mack.

"“Speaking of LeBron, let’s get this one out of the way: Mack is LeBron. And not for some of the reasons that you think. Obviously, both players are versatile. Both started their careers on bad teams. You could even say Mack has moved on to the Heat portion of his career. But my main reason is both players are so dominant, their opponents are never called for fouls or penalties. LeBron routinely gets mugged on the way to the basket, which apparently isn’t against the rules in the NBA anymore. And even though Mack is held on every play, he didn’t get a call until the Packers game in Week 15. I mean, he’s resorted to sacking people with his back now.”"

People may scoff at the idea that James wasn’t compared to a quarterback but the similarities match up. Both are physical freaks of nature. They dominate consistently and yet somehow suffer from a lack of respect at times. Mack may not put basketballs in the hoop to a ridiculous degree like LeBron does, but he definitely puts quarterbacks on the ground at a similar pace.

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