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When examining the box score following the Chicago Bears’ 17-7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, there was one name noticeably absent: All-Pro linebacker Khalil Mack.
The NFL’s highest paid defensive player failed to notch any impact plays. He had zero tackles, sacks, tackles for loss, quarterback hits, interceptions, pass breakups, forced fumbles or fumble recoveries.
But Matt Nagy wasn’t worried about his lack of production against the Rams, citing the focus of opposing teams topping him. That, and the box score doesn’t tell the whole story.
‘‘You see that with a lot of superstars,’’ Nagy said, via the Sun-Times. ‘‘You can go back to last year with [Rams defensive tackle] Aaron Donald, when he played us, there wasn’t any [two tackles, one quarterback hit].
‘‘Sometimes that happens, but it opens it up for other guys. [Mack] was a part of the first play of the game with the fumble. He was right there with Eddie Jackson, ripping the ball out.’’
While Mack didn’t make an impact on the box score, the defense did its job against the Rams, who were held to 283 yards, their second lowest of the season. Quarterback Jared Goff threw for 173 yards with no touchdowns, two interceptions and had a 69.9 passer rating.
Then there’s the fact that Goff only attempted 18 passes, where Mack was on the sideline for four of them and in pass in pass coverage for four other attempts. Mack was only on the field for 47 snaps, which was the sixth-fewest of his career.
‘‘Khalil, he doesn’t have to change anything he’s doing,’’ Nagy said. ‘‘He’s a pretty good player, and he understands in this scheme it’s cyclical, and we’re just in that right now. Teams are going to double him every single game, and it just gives opportunities to other guys.’’
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