Chicago Bears quarterback Case Keenum probably did not envision having a huge impact this early in the season. After all, he did not play a single snap for the Bears last year.
But with quarterback Caleb Williams sidelined due to a hamstring injury, Keenum was suddenly handed the keys to the Bears. To say the least, he drove home a point.
In his first game since 2023, Keenum carried Chicago past the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-7, going 24-of-34 for 247 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He also scored on a one-yard rush in the fourth quarter.
In the process, the 38-year-old signal-caller helped achieve a milestone.
“Teams that started their non-Week 1 QB this season are 6-0. That's the most teams to win without their Week 1 starting QB through three weeks since the 1970 merger (excluding 1987),” noted ESPN Insights on X.
Coach Ben Johnson went with quarterback Tyson Bagent when Williams went down in Week 2. Johnson, however, tapped Keenum as the starter against the Eagles. Keenum made Johnson look like a genius, as he made the right reads and made the right plays in a masterful performance.
But after the game, Keenum said it was Johnson who made him look good, lauding the 40-year-old coach for “cooking” and being “in his bag” against Philadelphia.
The longtime journeyman acknowledged the surreal opportunity and his unflinching resolve.
“To get a shot again like this? Yeah, you dream of it. That's why I'm still here doing this when I get knocked down. I got knocked down my whole career. I just keep getting up, coming to work, just keep bouncing back,” said Keenum in a report from the Associated Press' Jay Cohen.
As the Bears said on X after the win: Case closed.