The Chicago Bears went into their first prime-time game of the season with Case Keenum as their quarterback after Caleb Williams was ruled out due to his hamstring injury and Tyson Bagent spent most of the week in concussion protocol.
Head coach Ben Johnson had a lot of confidence in Keenum coming into this game and Keenum put on a show against the Philadelphia Eagles in a 27-7 win. Keenum had three total touchdowns -- two passing and one rushing score. Keenum was picking apart Philadelphia’s, completing 70.5 percent of his passes and averaging 7.3 yards per attempt.
After the game, head coach Ben Johnson praised Keenum's preparation and performance in what was a statement win for Chicago.
"[Case Keenum] knows where everybody is supposed to be
on every single play,” Johnson said. “So, he's really quick to recognize coverage, he knows why we're calling the play, what we're looking for, and if we're not getting that he's accelerating through it really quickly. That's what you get when you're 15-plus years in this league playing this position."
The question for Chicago becomes who is going to start next week against the New York Jets. Williams most likely will not be available in that game as well, given the timeline for his injury is estimated at three to four weeks. Therefore, the question becomes whether Keenum or Bagent is going to start.
Bagent has not started an NFL game since his rookie season in 2023. After how Keenum performed against the Eagles, he certainly made a compelling argument for why he should be Chicago’s backup behind Williams, although Johnson seemed to hint that we could see Bagent next week.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Ben Johnson reacts to Bears QB Case Keenum's 3 TD game vs. Eagles
