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With Caleb Williams out, the Chicago Bears needed Case Keenum to provide a steady presence in their Monday matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Keenum delivered, and then some.
Keenum, who entered the season as the Bears’ third-string quarterback and hadn’t started a game since 2023, played nearly flawless football. He completed 24 of 34 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns to go with a rushing score, leading the Bears to a decisive 27-7 victory.
Here are my takeaways from the Monday night matchup that Chicago fans will forever know as the Case Keenum Game:
1.
Monday night brought a new challenge for Ben Johnson’s reputation as a top offensive mind: Can he pull off a big win with a backup quarterback?
Taking the field without Caleb Williams for the first time, Johnson’s answer, a 38-year-old Case Keenum in his first NFL snaps since 2023, was a resounding yes.
Chicago’s defense helped out with three takeaways, but Keenum earned the win himself, throwing for touchdown passes to Luther Burden and Kalif Raymond against an Eagles team that came into the game 2-0.
The Bears had already seen highs and lows offensively, scoring 59 points in an opening win over Carolina before a three-point showing in a rainy slog of a loss to Minnesota.
For Keenum, the journeyman now has a cool piece of NFL history, joining Ryan Fitzpatrick as the only quarterbacks to start and win games with seven different NFL teams. For Keenum, that covers the Texans, the Rams (in both St. Louis and Los Angeles), the Vikings, the Broncos, the Commanders, the Browns and now the Bears.
For the Bears and Johnson, they continue to keep pace in a talented NFC North, behind the surprising 3-0 Vikings and even at 2-1 with the Lions. Chicago stays home to face the Jets on Sunday before a biggest test at Green Bay in Week 5.
2.
With the Eagles’ loss, they fell into a tie with the New York Giants at 2-1 atop the NFC East, on a day that New York traded a fifth-round pick to acquire quarterback J.J. McCarthy from the Minnesota Vikings.
The Washington Commanders got their first win Sunday, upsetting the Seattle Seahawks, and the Dallas Cowboys are 1-2 with the highest-scoring offense (and defense) in the division.
Philadelphia’s offensive woes continued on Monday, though. The Eagles mustered only seven points against a Bears defense that gave up 37 two weeks ago to Carolina. Jalen Hurts threw for just 153 yards on 25 attempts, and Saquon Barkley rushed for 82 but couldn’t get into the end zone for a third game in a row.
What’s more, the Eagles’ next two games are at home against the Los Angeles Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars – neither an easy opponent – while the Giants host the Cardinals and go to the Commanders, so it’s reasonable to think the Giants could be alone atop the NFC East entering Week 6.
The Giants and Eagles play in Philadelphia in Week 9 and then close the regular season against each other at MetLife in Week 18, with plenty of division games for Washington and Dallas to get involved as well.
3. 
That Last Yard Is The Hardest
The first half had two and nearly three drives that got to the 1-yard line but did not result in any points.
First, the Bears thought they had a Colston Loveland touchdown, but after review, he was ruled down inside the 1-yard line. D’Andre Swift was dropped for a 2-yard loss, Case Keenum threw an incomplete pass and the Bears went for it on fourth-and-goal, with Keenum’s pass broken up by Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell.
The drive that followed was even tougher, with the Eagles also driving to the 1-yard line. Jalen Hurts was hit hard as he went out of bounds and was pulled for the game to check for a concussion. While he was out, Saquon Barkley ran to the 1-yard line, and again, the drive stalled. Barkley was dropped for a 1-yard loss, and on third-and-goal from the 2, backup Andy Dalton was intercepted in the end zone by rookie safety Dillon Thieneman.
The Eagles nearly did it again just before halftime. With no timeouts and 11 seconds left, Hurts threw a pass to DeVonta Smith, but he was stopped at the 1. With the final seconds ticking off, the Eagles quickly lined up and got the snap off in the final second, with Hurts diving in for a touchdown. Had he attempted to spike the ball to stop the clock, it didn’t look like he’d have done it in time.
And just like the Eagles, the Bears avenged their previous 1-yard line shortcoming when Keenum scored a 1-yard QB sneak that extended the Bears’ lead to 27-7.
How rare is it for an NFL team to drive 90-plus yards and not score? There were 81 drives of 90 yards and longer last year, and only five of them failed to yield points: 74 touchdowns, two field goals, three interceptions, one fumble and one turnover on downs. It’s worth noting that two of those came against Chicago: one field goal and a Dak Prescott interception for Dallas.
Before Monday, the Eagles’ last 11 drives of 90-plus yards had all resulted in touchdowns.
