When the Chicago Bears lost starting quarterback Caleb Williams to his Week 2 hamstring injury, the wide assumption was that it'd be a chance for backup Tyson Bagent to show his starter chops for a few weeks. Then Bagent popped on the injury report with a concussion. Enter Case Keenum.
Keenum was a star for the Bears on Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles. He demonstrated command of the offense from the jump, finishing with 247 yards passing on a 70.6 percent completion rate, two touchdowns through the air, and another on a sneak to seal it.
Bagent was, technically, cleared ahead of Monday, but Keenum's preparation with the first team game him the edge to start the team's first week without Williams. With Bagent now firmly back in the mix,
however, there's an absence of clarity over who could start on Sunday against the New York Jets. For what it's worth, Keenum isn't particularly bothered by that.
“I’m built for this," Keenum said. "I have so many banked reps of situations and outside noise that I just tune it all out and I believe the truth; what my coaches tell me and what my teammates tell me and what I see on film and what I know I can do. You just go out there and do the best you can and then you learn from when you don’t succeed. It’s not failure; it’s just an opportunity to learn."
It's certainly a unique situation. The Bears entered the season with very clearly defined roles for each of their three quarterbacks. Only upon consecutive injuries was Keenum afforded the opportunity he saw on Monday. But with Bagent representing the team's no. 2, there's no guarantee he'll get a second outing even having been as good as he was. That's also the nature of being a journeyman player in the NFL.
The Bears are Keenum's eighth team and ninth separate stint with an organization, having been in Houston on two separate occasions. He's played in 81 games and started 67 of them. The mindset he describes is exactly what you'd expect from such a player living out the twilight of his career. While the Bears are faced with a far more complex quarterback situation than anyone might have expected, it's clear that Keenum is at least handling it as well as can be expected.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Case Keenum explains how he's 'built' for Bears' quarterback situation
