Case Keenum hadn’t taken an NFL snap since Christmas Eve 2023.
Three birthdays have passed since, and the 38-year-old Keenum stuck around in the NFL. The 15th-year veteran was more of a player-coach than a player, serving as a mentor to Chicago Bears’ quarterbacks Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent.
But when Williams suffered a hamstring injury and Bagent a concussion in the Bears’ Week 2 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Keenum was suddenly thrust back into action for the first time in three seasons. For
a nationally televised Monday Night Football matchup, Keenum showed zero signs of rust and authored a signature 27-7 victory over the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles.
The quarterback completed 24-of-34 attempts for 270 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. If not for a second quarter drop by Rome Odunze, he would have delivered a hat trick through the air. Per ESPN Insights, he finished a perfect 11-of-11 for 145 yards against the blitz, showing his poise in the face of pressure. Keenum additionally logged his first rushing touchdown since 2019, serving as the dagger to a triumphant victory at Soldier Field.
Keenum has enjoyed moments in the spotlight during a long NFL career, mostly notably as the facilitator for the Minneapolis Miracle in the 2017 Playoffs, when the Vikings stunned the Saints on his 61-yard pass to Stefon Diggs on the game’s final play, sending Minnesota to its most recent NFC Championship Game appearance.
But Monday night also brought back memories of Keenum’s historic college career. At times, it felt like 2011 all over again. That season, Keenum threw for 5,631 yards, 48 touchdowns, and five interceptions, leading the Houston Cougars to a 13-1 record, a final ranking of No. 18, a TicketCity Bowl win over Penn State, and a Conference USA Championship appearance.
Keenum’s minimums that season were a 61.2 completion percentage, 304 passing yards, and two passing touchdowns. At his best, he diced up the Rice defense for 534 yards and nine touchdowns — on just 24 completions — in a 73-34 Bayou Bucket rivalry win.
Funny enough, that wasn’t even Keenum’s highest passing total as a Houston Cougar. Two years prior, he threw for 5,671 yards and 44 touchdowns, most notably leading the Cougars to a 45-35 road upset over No. 5 Oklahoma State. Keenum is the only quarterback in FBS history to record three separate 5,000-yard passing seasons, and his 19,217 passing yards are the most all-time.
Not even a generation of COVID-era quarterbacks, granted extra years of eligibility with an expanded College Football Playoff, could touch Keenum’s record. Dillon Gabriel is the only quarterback to creep within 2,000 yards, and Keenum attained his numbers in just 57 games across five seasons.
Surprisingly, Keenum went undrafted after his historic college career. The 2012 NFL Draft class featured Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Ryan Tannehill, Brandon Weeden, Brock Osweiler, Russell Wilson, Nick Foles, Kirk Cousins, Ryan Lindley, B.J. Coleman, and Chandler Harnish at the quarterback position. The only other quarterback that made it to 2026 was Cousins, who just led the Las Vegas Raiders to a 3-0 start.
But over 14 years later, the undrafted Keenum proved he remains a capable quarterback in 2026, still having that magic touch from his Houston days even after three years of sitting idle.
From his college fans in Houston to those in Chicago, Monday, Sept. 28 won’t be forgotten anytime soon. It was the night where a 38-year-old Keenum made one more statement and took over the NFL.
