The Chicago Bears were ready for some football on Monday night, no matter who they had starting at quarterback. The Bears welcomed the Philadelphia Eagles to Soldier Field to conclude Week 3 and defeated them 27-7 with 38-year-old quarterback Case Keenum leading the way. Keenum threw for nearly 250 yards, accounted for all three Bears touchdowns, and had a performance no one will forget to lead the Bears to a 2-1 record in place of the injured Caleb Williams.
After leading an opening touchdown drive, the Bears and Eagles played a tight first half. With Chicago leading 10-0 and time winding down, quarterback Jalen Hurts and the Eagles manufactured a scoring drive of the night to get into the end zone with a millisecond left on the clock to make
it a 10-7 game.
That would be the last scoring drive of the night for them, though. Chicago's defense clamped down on the Eagles' offense with increased pressure, while Keenum continued to wheel and deal to add to the Bears' lead. When it was all said and done, the Bears controlled the clock to cruise to victory.
There were plenty of great things to glean, as well as some tough teaching moments from Monday's win. Here are our takeaways from the Bears' prime time win over the Eagles.
1. This night goes beyond football for Case Keenum
It goes without saying that Monday's game was all about Case Keenum. He was sensational, completing 24 of 34 passes for 247 yards and three total touchdowns. An absolute masterclass from him as well as Ben Johnson because when you combine a student of the game with 15 years of experience in the NFL with an offensive mastermind, you get a dangerous combination. Keenum was more than ready for the call, which is why his performance goes beyond just playing in a game.
All week long, and really since he got to Chicago, Keenum has talked about falling back in love with the game of football thanks to Johnson and the Bears. He's said multiple times he wouldn't be playing again had it not been for a call from his head coach asking him to come back and mentor Williams and Bagent. In his mind, Keenum was retired, and even as QB3, he probably thought he wouldn't play again. Those days were over.
Then Monday happens, and he gets possibly one last hurrah in front of a passionate fanbase with his family front and center. He proved to his children what hard work and determination can do, even this far into a career. It's inspirational and makes Keenum an incredibly easy person to root for.
2. Ben Johnson is Vic Fangio's Kryptonite
Do we have enough evidence that Johnson can neutralize any Vic Fangio defense? This is two years in a row now that Chicago has dominated the time of possession against Philadelphia and found a way to make their formidable defensive line look ordinary. And the best part is each game had a completely different gameplan to do it.
Last year, it was a constant dose of the ground game to keep drives alive. This time around, it was quick strikes from Keenum and misdirection from the pocket to keep them guessing. Keenum was delivering passes in just 2.28 seconds, the fastest time to throw for a quarterback under Johnson, according to Sumer Sports. Even when pressure started to get to Keenum, he usually had an open receiver to go to. And all of this was happening while the ground game got stifled repeatedly to put the Bears in longer third-down situations. At halftime, they had just 27 rushing yards.
It wasn't until later in the game that the Bears finally wore out Fangio's group and began getting chunk plays in the run game. And by then, the game was out of reach. Johnson was one step ahead of Fangio even as he adjusted to contain Chicago's strong rushing attack with D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai. Johnson has Fangio's number, even with a third-string quarterback.
3. T.J. Edwards had his best game in a long time
The defense deserves all the flowers for stepping up after a shaky start. Players and coaches alike adjusted and made a huge difference in the second half. So many different players stood out, like Dillon Thieneman, Dayo Odeyingbo, and more. But the standout performer to me has to be linebacker T.J. Edwards, who showed out against his former team. Edwards missed last year's game and made sure to make his presence felt in what I can only describe as his best performance in quite some time.
Edwards totaled three tackles with one for a loss but had three passes defended and an interception on the day. One came in a crucial third down early in the second half as he fooled Hurts by dropping back into coverage, and his pick came on fourth down in Bears territory to stop any momentum. The best part was Edwards even spied on Philadelphia's huddle on that play call.
As someone who has been critical of Edwards in recent games, he stepped up in a big way and seems to be getting better and better as the season progresses. The stats may not be eye-popping, but his impact was evident while watching the game.
4. The Eagles bailed the Bears out so many times in this game
Not to take anything away from the Bears for playing an excellent game with minimal penalties and no turnovers, but we have to acknowledge just how badly the Eagles gave this game away. Especially early on. The Eagles committed 10 penalties for 61 yards, including multiple infractions on third and fourth down that gifted the Bears automatic first downs. For the first time since the wild card game against the Green Bay Packers, the Bears won the penalty battle.
But the miscues by the Eagles weren't limited to infractions. Head coach Nick Sirianni mismanaged this game all night long. He allowed backup quarterback Andy Dalton to operate the offense at will in the second quarter despite Hurts being ready to come back in following his concussion evaluation. Just one timeout could have saved them from a back-breaking interception. And he cowardly opted to punt from midfield while facing a fourth and one instead of pushing to keep the drive alive.
There's no question the Bears outcoached and outplayed the Eagles, but it looked fairly easy when they were making so many mistakes.
5. Rome Odunze continues to be a frustrating player
What are we going to do with Rome Odunze? This is yet another instance of the Bears' third-year receiver having an absolute bone-headed play before making up for it elsewhere. Odunze had one of the easiest touchdown catches a receiver could have in the first half as Keenum popped the ball over the defense where Odunze was waiting in the end zone. He decided to jump, however, and wound up double clutching the ball while going to the ground and didn't regain control until he was out of bounds. The pass was incomplete, and the Bears wound up failing to score in what would be their worst sequence of the game.
Odunze doesn't stay down for long, though. He rebounded to make a few excellent grabs to keep the chains moving and shook off the gaffe. But that's been the issue for him, hasn't it? One play Odunze is struggling, and the next, he looks like a bona fide weapon. "Frustrating" is the optimal description for him, and it seems we're still waiting for an all-around good game from the former No. 9 overall pick. Odunze finished the day with three receptions for 44 yards.ay with three receptions for 44 yards.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 5 takeaways from Bears' blowout win vs. Eagles
