Keenum steps up
Case Keenum had not started a regular season game in 1,009 days. Yet, the 38 year old quarterback stepped up on Monday night to lead the Chicago Bears to a 27-7 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Keenum completed 24 of 34 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns. He added a quarterback sneak for another score and was not sacked once. When the Eagles blitzed, Keenum was perfect, completing 11 of 11 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns.
With starting quarterback Caleb Williams expected to miss three to four weeks with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, Keenum showed he can still get the job done.
Familiar territory for the veteran
This is not the first time Keenum has dealt with this kind of uncertainty. Back in 2017, he filled in for an injured Sam Bradford with the Minnesota Vikings. Keenum went 11-3 in the regular season and led the team to a famous playoff win.
Even as he kept winning, his head coach at the time was reluctant to name him the permanent starter. Keenum learned to live with the week to week pressure. Over his 15 year career, he has bounced between being a backup and a starter many times.
Keenum was happy to get another chance to play. He told his teammates after the game that the opportunity meant a lot to him, especially because he got to play in front of his family.
The decision ahead
Now, Bears coach Ben Johnson has a difficult decision to make before Sunday. Tyson Bagent, who was in concussion protocol last week, was active on the sideline on Monday and is now healthy.
Bagent ended training camp as the team's number two quarterback. The Bears also showed their faith in Bagent by signing him to a two year, 10 million dollar contract. Johnson did not want to start Bagent against the Eagles because he only had one day of practice.
Johnson has not revealed who will start against the New York Jets. He noted that there was a reason Bagent was the backup, but also praised Keenum's deep understanding of the game.
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