The best pass rushers in the game tend to have a signature move. Deacon Jones had his head slap, Dwight Freeney had his ice-pick spin move, and Khalil Mack has his left arm.
You’ve seen the arm in action before. Mack gets a running start at a backpedaling tackle, and then at precisely the right moment he shoots his left arm into the poor sucker’s chest, at which point the poor sucker loses his balance and hits the ground like he was just hit with a sniper shot. Chiefs tackle Eric Fisher is a two-time victim, and last night Vikings tackle Riley Reiff joined him:
The Bears embarrassed the Vikings last night, and as is the case whenever Chicago looks like a team that could win a playoff game or two, Mack was everywhere. He forced and recovered a fumble, sacked Kirk Cousins once, and was in Minnesota’s backfield all night. He now has eight sacks and five forced fumbles on the season, and he told The Athletic after the game that he hasn’t even fully learned defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s scheme yet. When asked if this is the best he can play, he responded, “That ain’t even close.”