The Chicago Bears produced one of the surprise results of the NFL season so far by beating the Philadelphia Eagles 27-7 on Monday Night Football at Soldier Field. With starting quarterback Caleb Williams sidelined, 38-year-old third-string option Case Keenum stepped in and delivered a performance that dictated the entire contest.
Keenum steps up in place of Caleb Williams
With the Chicago Bears down QB1 Caleb Williams and QB2 Tyler Bagent just returning from concussion protocol, 38-year-old Keenum stepped up in his first start since 2023 for a major result.
Case Keenum, playing his first game since 2023, ran for a touchdown and threw two touchdowns in leading the Bears to a 27-7 blowout of the Eagles. Despite playing without starting quarterback Caleb Williams, who is out with a hamstring injury, the Bears dominated the Eagles.
Starting in place of the injured Caleb Williams, Keenum completed 24 of 34 passes for 247 yards with two touchdowns and a 110.8 passer rating, with the 14-year NFL veteran also rushing for a TD in what was his first regular-season action since 2023.
How the scoring unfolded
The Bears opened the game with an 11-play, 66-yard drive capped by Keenum's 8-yard touchdown pass to Luther Burden III. Keenum then added a second touchdown throw later in the contest.
Keenum completed an eight-yard shovel pass to Luther Burden for his first touchdown toss of the night, and he followed it up with an impressive 41-yard scoring strike to Kalif Raymond in the latter portion of the third quarter for his two TD passes. He then closed out the scoring with a one-yard run just past the midway point of the final period.
He actually would have had three touchdown passes if not for a terrible drop from Rome Odunze in the first quarter.
A defensive masterclass to complement Keenum
The Bears' defensive unit was just as important to the final scoreline as their veteran quarterback. The Bears defence generated three takeaways, held quarterback Jalen Hurts to a 64.2 passer rating and limited the Eagles to a 22.2% success rate on third down, permitting only 62 total yards in the second half and forcing three straight three-and-outs to begin the third period.
Head coach Ben Johnson praised his defensive unit's second-half display, saying "the way our defence played in the second half was extraordinary. They really came to life... To see how they bowed up in the second half was huge for us."
Penalty trouble compounded Philadelphia's problems
Beyond the scoreboard, discipline was a major issue for the visitors. Philadelphia doubled Chicago's five penalties, getting tagged for 10 infractions and 61 penalty yards. The secondary committed three penalties that resulted in first downs, two of which came on third-down plays.
Despite starting the season strongly, Philadelphia had made it to 2-0 by the skin of their teeth, stopping a Commanders' two-point conversion in Week 1 to avoid overtime and requiring a game-winning two-minute drill to dispatch the now 0-3 Titans in Week 2. This time, there was no late rescue act.
What comes next
Chicago improved to 2-1 as it looks to make the playoffs again while Philadelphia fell to 2-1 and will have lots of questions to answer on the trip home. The result sets up an intriguing Week 4 assignment for the Bears, who are now 2-1 ahead of a Week 4 meeting with the Jets.
Attention in Chicago will also turn to the health of Caleb Williams, with Keenum's performance now presenting Ben Johnson with a selection dilemma at quarterback depending on how quickly the starter recovers from his hamstring issue. For the Eagles, the challenge will be tightening up the discipline and offensive execution that let them down so badly on a difficult night at Soldier Field.