Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz said earlier this week that he'll be aware of where Chicago Bears pass rusher Khalil Mack is at all times Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field when the two teams square off in a pivotal Week 9 matchup, but he conditioned his comments by saying neither he nor his teammates will be afraid of him.
Mack, who met with reporters at Halas Hall on Friday, was his usual calm and soft-spoken self and offered some praise for the Eagles signal caller.
"I've been seeing him on film for the past couple of years," Mack said of Wentz. "He's a hell of a quarterback. Stays in the pocket, take hits, a real physical guy, a magician back there. He can duck and dodge and still make throws that a lot of quarterbacks don't really make. You know that you got your hands full this week."
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Mack, whose production has slipped during the Bears' three-game losing streak (he has just one sack over that span), will be as important to the Bears stealing a win in Philadelphia as Mitch Trubisky on offense. Chicago's defense has been the catalyst behind their three wins this season, and if this team is going to make a legitimate push for a post-season berth, they'll have to continue finding ways to give Trubisky favorable field position and even some defensive scores.
The Eagles will be without starting left tackle Jason Peters on Sunday, which means rookie first-round pick Andre Dillard will get the start. It'll be his third start of the season and should be a favorable matchup for Mack when he's lined up against the first-year pro.
"He's a good player, I know he was a great player in college," Mack said of Dillard. "He's been doing some good things for them. It's going to be cool. Not sure what's going to happen as far as matchup-wise, but it is what it is. It's a situation where it's going to be exciting whoever's out there. It don't really matter."
Opposing offenses have done a good job preventing Mack from wrecking their game plan over the last three games, a challenge Mack said he's used to at this point in his career.
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"It's something that I'm kind of used to in a sense. It just depends on how aggressive they're going to be, early or late in the game, but just understanding situational football and knowing what's going to happen and having situations where we can have movement and all these different things. Just being ready for it is ultimately what I've been working on."
Ultimately, whether it's Mack, Trubisky or one of the other key starters on the Bears' offense and defense, someone has to step up and do their part to keep Chicago's season alive. It's win-or-else for the Bears.
"You gotta understand that a win is gonna be huge up on Sunday," Mack said. "That's ultimately how you got to think about this game. It's gonna be one of those games that you gotta get it by any means."
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