I think we can all agree that Ben Johnson’s game plan for Week 3 was perfect for Case Keenum. It wasn’t a particularly explosive game plan, but it was perfect for the spot start on Monday Night Football. Only four explosives from the primetime tilt to discuss this week.
Explosive Play 3.1 – Q2 6:14, 1st and 10 from the Chicago 20. Case Keenum completes pass short left to Luther Burden for 25 yards.
This one is just kind of a crazy play all around. The Bears come out in 11 personnel with Kalif Raymond
and Luther Burden lined up tight next to Colston Loveland on the right side with Rome Odunze split out left. Keenum motions Burden and snaps quickly, allowing Burden to release up the C-gap (between tackle and tight end). Raymond follows Burden’s release through the C-gap out into his route. Keenum fakes to Monangai and then, feeling immediate pressure, flicks a ball over the top of two defenders to Burden who is dragging right to left. It’s an incredible play by Keenum to find the open guy in space quickly before getting hit and a nice play by Burden to make it an explosive play after securing the catch.
Explosive Play 3.2 – Q2 5:39, 1st and 10 from the Chicago 45. Case Keenum completes pass deep right to Rome Odunze for 22 yards.
The very next play, a perfect ball thrown with maximum anticipation. The Bears use 12 personnel here (one running back, two tight ends) but line up Cole Kmet as a full back. Kmet motions laterally a couple steps to the right and peels back left to block the blitzing corner. This is a max protect look here as only two are out on a route here as both tight ends and the back are in to protect Keenum. Still, there’s pressure after the play fake to Kyle Monangai but Keenum fires the ball to Rome two full steps before he reaches the top of his route to find the hole in the coverage, making an easy catch. Contrast this with a similar pitch and catch from last week where Bagent held for an extra second, allowing the defender to recover and making it a more difficult play for Rome. This is teach tape from Keenum and simply doesn’t get much better.
Explosive Play 3.3 – Q3 5:55, 1st and 10 from the Philly 41. Case Keenum completes over the middle to Kalif Raymond for 41 yard touchdown.
Bears come out in a standard 11 personnel here with Sam Roush as the lone tight end lined up to the left with Luther Burden stacked behind Rome Odunze and Kalif Raymond on the right side. Keenum motions Burden to the left and at the snap, Burden has just cleared the right tackle. It’s enough to confuse the assignment for the Eagles defense as Raymond runs free in the middle. Keenum delivers the ball a bit behind Raymond, who makes a great spinning catch and races to the end zone, topping 20 miles per hour. I’m not sure if the 38-year old Keenum finding the 32-year old Raymond for a TD is the oldest TD connection in Bears history or not, but it’s got to be up there.
Explosive Play 3.4 – Q4 2:00, 4th and 1 from the Philly 34. D’Andre Swift off left tackle for 15 yard gain.
The Bears come out of the two minute warning with a 4th and 1 and decide to end the game on offense (love it). The break the huddle and rush to the line in a super jumbo package with three tight ends and an extra offensive lineman and Darnell Wright shifted over on on the left side. So the look right to left is Roush, Thuney, Bradbury, Jackson, Benedet, Wright, and Kmet on the line with Loveland and Luke Newman lined up in the backfield to the left. Swift takes the snap and runs behind the beef on the left side, breaking an arm tackle at the line of scrimmage before breaking a second tackle at the second level before a third arm tackle probably does enough to stop him before fourth Eagle ends the play. 15 yards on a 4th and 1 to clinch it seems pretty good to me.
Bonus clip — The Sucker Sneak!
This is very much not an explosive but I love Ben Johnson calling the “sucker sneak” against the Eagles, essentially the exact opposite of the “Tush Push.” Essentially, the left guard pulls left, the right guard pulls right and that action suckers the defensive tackles enough to open up the middle. The center climbs to the second level to take on the linebacker and before you know it, the QB has a rushing touchdown. Deception and cleverness against the team that has perfected the brute force sneak. Keenum became the oldest player in Chicago Bears franchise history to rush for a score on this play.
2026 Explosive Play Count: D’Andre Swift 5, Kyle Monangai 4, Caleb Williams 4, Rome Odunze 3, Kalif Raymond 2, Luther Burden 2, and one for Cole Kmet.
What was your favorite explosive play from this one? The TD to Raymond is the easy answer because, well, it’s a score, but that throw to Burden for 25 yards is the one I’ve been thinking about the most since Monday.
