Two of the NFL’s most magnificent, menacing pass rushers will square off Sunday night in Los Angeles, and you might not even notice.
Bears star Khalil Mack and Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald signed contracts worth a combined $282 million a little over a year ago, and neither leads his team in sacks nine games into the season.
Mack has just 5.5, putting him on pace for his lowest season total since his rookie year, and hasn’t had one since Week 8 against the Chargers. He went all of October without forcing a fumble, and that’s quite a drought for someone of his caliber.
It’s never easy for a guy who faces constant double- and triple-teams, and Mack is eager for a breakthrough.
“You can go through anything on a football field,” he said. “But ultimately it’s how you react and how you come out of it.”
Donald, meanwhile, is coming off a staggering 20.5-sack season that earned him a fourth consecutive all-pro selection, but has only six. He seems to be heating up, though, with five in his last four games.
The frustrating part for both sides is that the extra attention on Mack and Donald hasn’t opened the floodgates for everyone else.
Journeyman defensive tackle Nick Williams leads the Bears with six sacks, and their team total of 25 (one every 14.7 drop backs) is tied for 12th after finishing No. 3 last season. Old-timer Clay Matthews has the Rams’ team lead at seven, followed by Dante Fowler (6.5) and Donald, and they’re one spot ahead of the Bears with 26.
Without a consistent, intimidating threat to the quarterback, it’s no surprise these teams have slipped in takeaways, too. The Bears have fallen from No. 1 last season to No. 15, and the Rams have dropped from third to 10th.
Mack and Donald are doing everything they can to spur their defenses out of their respective lulls. Both have played 86 percent of their team’s defensive plays and are tracking toward a workload of nearly 1,000 snaps for the season.
And regardless of the dip in their stats, they remain the focal point of the opposition’s game plan.
“As far as Mack goes, there’s no guy you have more respect for in the league in my mind,” Rams coach Sean McVay said.
Bears coach Matt Nagy returned the compliment to Donald.
“We better know where he is at,” he said. “It’s about as simple as it gets and we understand that. To be able to see somebody play the game the way he plays it on every snap... If you don’t know where he is at on the field on every single play, you’re going to be in trouble.”
The players are big fans of each other as well. Donald called Mack dominant, and Mack couldn’t say enough about how overwhelming Donald can be.
“Everything — his speed, power,” Mack said. “Everything that guy does, he does it at a high level. It’s impressive to watch.”
This could be the breakout game both stars are seeking. Mitch Trubisky has struggled all season and is playing behind a reworked offensive line, and the same is true for Rams quarterback Jared Goff. Trubisky gets sacked 2.8 times per game, compared to Goff at 1.8.
It’s striking how similar these teams, initially thought to be the frontrunners in the NFC, have been this season. Both have hit a desperation point, teetering on the brink of being knocked out of the playoff chase before Thanksgiving, and getting on track might hinge on which team’s star pass rusher busts out of his slump.
