Khalil Mack isn't expected to play this week, and the Chicago Bears star pass rusher might be out a few more.
The team intends to rest Mack's foot injury Sunday as the Bears play host to the San Francisco 49ers, and there are ongoing discussions about whether to place Mack on injured reserve, which would sideline him a minimum of three more games, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo.
Bears head coach Matt Nagy told reporters Wednesday that the team is "working through everything" as it pertains to Mack's injury and no decision has been made yet on how to proceed.
Mack hasn't missed a start this season but has been playing through pain over the last several weeks. He first sustained a foot injury in a 26-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 3. He left the game but returned in the second half to record his second sack of the day.
Despite the injury, Mack has been productive this season as a pass rusher, notching six sacks that rank him tied for seventh in the NFL. In Sunday's loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, however, he was held sackless for the first time since Week 1 and made just one tackle in 52 defensive snaps.
A trip to IR for Mack would represent the first extended interruption of a remarkably durable career -- until now, 2018 has been the only season in which he's missed a start over seven-plus seasons, and he started 13 of 14 games that year. If Mack is placed on injured reserve before Sunday's game, he would have four weeks to rest while missing three games, with a bye among upcoming tilts against the 49ers, Steelers and Ravens. He would be eligible to come off of IR for a Week 12 game at Detroit.
