General manager Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy knew they had made iffy moves in the secondary and hoped to negate those concerns with an overwhelming trio of outside linebackers Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn and defensive lineman Akiem Hicks up front.
The Bears didn’t have a sack or even a quarterback hit in the last two games, as the Buccaneers and 49ers combined to pile up 71 points.
The two of them thriving simultaneously was a revelation for the Bears, who had no reliable threat to pair with Mack the last two seasons.
Their underperformance left Mack consistently facing double- and triple-teams, and he dropped to single-digit sack totals for the first time since his rookie season.
‘‘Khalil is great — I would say probably a Hall of Famer — but you can’t put all of your money on him.
‘‘You’ve just got to do a little bit more, strain a little bit harder.