Week 1 and Week 2 were just about as different as they could possibly be for the Chicago Bears. They went from scoring 59 points to three points and their defense went from giving up 37 points to holding the Minnesota Vikings to just nine points and never allowing them to score a touchdown.
However, the biggest question mark for Chicago going into their Week 3 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles is their quarterback situation. After suffering a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter against Minnesota, Caleb Williams most likely will not be able to play against the Eagles. Backup quarterback Tyson Bagent is in concussion protocol after the Vikings game, putting his availability in question. Therefore, Case Keenum may be making his first start
since 2023.
Philadelphia is probably the Bears’ toughest opponent yet. They are undefeated although their average margin of victory so far is three points after defeating the Washington Commanders by two points and the Tennessee Titans by four points. However, the Eagles have some injury concerns of their own with tight end Dallas Goedert not expected to play and their top wide receiver, Devonta Smith, unable to practice Thursday with a hamstring injury.
If the Bears are going to get back in the winning column and get to 2-1, they must address these concerns:
The quarterback situation
It is no surprise that Chicago’s biggest concern going into this game is their quarterback position. If the Bears have to start Keenum, they will be the second NFL team to have their third-string quarterback start a game this season. The Atlanta Falcons were the first and they went 0-2 with their third-stringer. Keenum also has not played in a regular season game since 2023 and they only have a week to get him ready to play against a legitimate playoff contender.
In addition, Keenum does not have the greatest history on prime-time games, including Monday night games. While he has played in six Monday games, he has only won two. In late games generally, Keenum only has six wins in 15 games. Also, he has only won one game against the NFC East in seven tries. History obviously does not dictate how this game is going to go, but it is concerning for the Bears to potentially be starting a quarterback who has a bad history on Mondays, at night and against this division. Chicago will need to have a solid game plan to take the pressure off of Keenum if they are going to address this concern.
Saquon Barkley will be the driving force of Philadelphia's offense
While Saquon Barkley is technically on the injury report, he is expected to play against the Bears in this game. In the six times Barkley has faced the Bears in his career, he has averaged 86 yards per game. However, Chicago has given up over 100 rushing yards in both games this season including allowing the Carolina Panthers to put up 5.7 yards per carry and two rushing touchdowns in the opener. If the Bears can contain Barkley, especially with Goedert most likely out and Smith possibly not in the game, Chicago should be able to come away from this game with a win.
Penalties continue to be an issue
Realistically, this is a game the Bears can easily win even with their quarterback situation. They should have won against the Vikings last week, but penalties killed them on both sides of the ball, particularly in the first half. Chicago also had 12 penalties in the opener to put them at 21 penalties through the first two games. When the Bears defeated the Eagles last year, they only had four penalties; it was one of their least-penalized games of the season. Chicago needs that kind of discipline against Philadelphia this year as well.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 3 causes for concern as the Bars face the Eagles in Week 3
