It seemed to be a foregone conclusion that Khalil Mack was going to be traded last Sunday. The rumors were heating up and the buzz was that Oakland was primed and ready to deal their All-Pro edge rusher just one week before the start of the regular season.

The odds makers had spoken; the Packers were the team that was most likely to land Khalil Mack at +200 odds. Close behind were the Bears (+300), and the Jets (+350).

UPDATE: Odds for which team Khalil Mack will be on after the trade deadline (@betmybookie):

Packers +200
Bears +300
Raiders +350
Jets +350
Bills +1000
Redskins +1500
Giants +2000
Field +600

— OddsShark (@OddsShark) August 18, 2018

Sunday morning came and I found myself refreshing Twitter a little bit more often. Green Bay had secured their franchise quarterback, traded Brett Hundley away, and you could almost feel momentum building for that one last roster move that could potentially put Green Bay over the top.

And then it happened without a moment’s notice. At 7:40am central time, Ian Rapoport broke the news:

And here we go: The #Bears are now expected to trade for star Khalil Mack. They are the team.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 1, 2018

Not only was Khalil Mack not going to be a Packer; he was going to division rival Chicago in a monster deal that also involved a plethora of draft choices. In the end Green Bay didn’t have what Oakland was looking for—the potential for a top pick in the 2019 draft. It came out that when Oakland received so many offers from teams throughout the league; they had to limit their choices to teams who would potentially be drafting in the top half (or better) of the draft. Even with Green Bay possessing two first round picks; they didn’t have that type of ammunition. Green Bay and New Orleans are both predicted to finish well above .500 and if Green Bay acquired Mack the odds of them picking in the top ten were just about non-existent.

So of course Green Bay moves on and will now not only have to be ready to face Khalil Mack twice a year for the next six years; they will also have to be ready to face him right away at Lambeau Field in week one. So just how good is Khalil Mack and what does Green Bay need to do to slow him down? Let’s take a look at the tape in today’s Film Review.

Khalil Mack is a machine. He’s a freak. He’s an All-Pro pass rusher with the ability to be the defensive player of the year in any given season. He’s that good. Since 2015 no player in all of football has had as many quarterback pressures as Khalil Mack (257)—not Aaron Donald, not Von Miller, not anybody.

Most pressures in the NFL since 2015:

1. Khalil Mack (257)
2. Aaron Donald (251)
3. Von Miller (244)
4. Geno Atkins (228)
5. Cameron Jordan (223) pic.twitter.com/i2ddWBHaN6

— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) September 1, 2018

What makes Mack so destructive is his incredible blend of speed, power, and technique. He truly has it all. If you gave a player Clay Matthews speed and explosiveness off the edge, Nick Perry’s power and Reggie Gilbert’s hand usage you’d start to put together the player that Khalil Mack is. On any given play Mack can beat you with a straight power rush, speed and bend off the edge, technique and hand usage, counter moves such as a spin move, and oh by the way he’s also completely relentless.

I think I figured it out. Khalil Mack is not human. He's merely a mutant shapeshifter who just wanted to play football so much he lives a double life. #Bears pic.twitter.com/RoH53FXFWU

— Erik Lambert (@ErikLambert1) September 6, 2018

"khAliL MacK wOn'T maKE tHE BeaRS ThAt gOOd." - every other #NFL team's fans pic.twitter.com/tYEzlX2asw

— 4C Reels (@4cReels) September 6, 2018

Throwback to when Khalil Mack had 5 sacks in one game... pic.twitter.com/0SCS3tWULv

— Chris Nano (@ChrisNano10) September 6, 2018

Mack will consistently see double teams and he has simply evolved to the point where he can fight through them anyway. Mack has been rated a 90+ by Pro Football Focus for three consecutive seasons and he shows no signs of slowing down. His consistency and his effort matched with his talent are what truly set him apart.

Watching Khalil Mack’s bull rush making me think he’s an actual bear @ChicagoBears @52Mack_ pic.twitter.com/EmeOifengz

— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) September 1, 2018

Here’s the scarier part. Not only does Chicago gain an elite edge rusher in Khalil Mack, but he will make players like Akiem Hicks and Leonard Floyd even better. Floyd was struggling as a number one pass rusher, but when he is opposite Mack he will get no special attention paid to him and will consistently see one-on-one blocks going forward. Hicks is already good enough that he doesn’t need much help but he’s also going to benefit from more one-on-one blocking assignments. And if Eddie Goldman and Jonathan Bullard continue to improve you have the makings of an incredibly talented front seven. And then there’s top 10 pick Roquan Smith will clean up everything that’s not handled by the defensive interior and edge rushers.

Akiem Hicks just takes Offensive Guards for a ride to QBs pic.twitter.com/wD4FsrYLfZ

— Al (@TreyBizzy) May 5, 2018

One Leonard Floyd's THREE first half sacks against the #Vikings on #MNF. pic.twitter.com/D19QQiSKWp

— UGA Football Live (@UGAfootballLive) October 10, 2017

A new man in the middle of Chicago's defense!

Bears select LB Roquan Smith with the No. 8 pick (@RamTrucks) pic.twitter.com/gbNtcsAmjj

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 27, 2018

But fortunately, there is good news. Regardless of what Akiem Hicks or Rodney Harrison say, Green Bay is setup better than just about any team in the league to face Khalil Mack two times a year. In fact the last time Mack faced Green Bay in 2015, Bakhtiari and Bulaga were able to handle him throughout the course of the game. Yes Mack did get a sack against Bulaga when Rodgers broke the pocket and Mack was able to trip Rodgers up; but it was nowhere near a game changing performance. If the Packers’ tackles can hold up similarly against Mack then his impact will be diminished significantly.

Friend of CheeseheadTV and my co-host on the Pack-A-Day podcast Dusty Evely did the heavy lifting this week by breaking down the film of Mack vs. Green Bay as well as every Khalil Mack sack of 2017. The two threads can be viewed in their entirety below by clicking on the tweets themselves. A huge thank you to Dusty for putting the work in to put these threads together!

Versus Bulaga. Mack sets up for an inside move and loops outside at the last minute. Bulaga kicks out and picks him up. pic.twitter.com/T8UOLNUZFi

— Dusty All 22 (@All22Talk) September 2, 2018

Quick step out to get around the TE, transition to bull rush then a QUICK inside step to the QB. Look at that closing speed. Look how he hits that inside step at full speed.
Oh, and that's Tyron Smith, one of the best tackles in the league. pic.twitter.com/CffRGWeVOe

— Dusty All 22 (@All22Talk) September 3, 2018

Khalil Mack is going to be a problem for the Packers for the foreseeable future and Chicago has done an admirable job of putting together a defense that should be one of the best in the league. The division became tougher and the Bears became more formidable with this trade; and if Ryan Pace was able to prevent Mack from going to Green Bay it’s even a bigger win for Chicago.

It’s tough to read the tea leaves accurately at this point and try and figure out what would have been if Mack was a Packer; but we will get our first glimpse of just how good Mack and the Bears defense will be when they matchup this weekend. Just please don’t tell me that Green Bay doesn’t have the tackles to hold up; because they unequivocally do and I have a feeling Bulaga and Bakhtiari are ready to show exactly that this coming Sunday.

Make sure to tune in Friday’s at 9:50am on WDUZ: http://www.thefan1075.com/