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Bear Digest

Case Keenum Made Most of His Bears Start Even If He Is One and Done

The Bears seem likely to turn to Tyson Bagent next week after what coach Ben Johnson said but there is a lot to be said for sticking with a hot hand and an old one at that.
Gene Chamberlain|
Case Keenum celebrates after his touchdown plunge against the Philadelphia Eagles in Monday night's 27-7 Bears win.
Case Keenum celebrates after his touchdown plunge against the Philadelphia Eagles in Monday night's 27-7 Bears win. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Chicago Bears

Case Keenum had a blast even if he doesn't get another chance to do it.

Coach Ben Johnson all but said quarterback Tyson Bagent would get the chance to start the next game for the Bears as injured Caleb Williams' replacement but their 38-year-old third-string QB made the most of his return to meaningful playing time with a night to remember Monday in beating the Philadelphia Eagles 27-7.

"We'll have a discussion as a coaching staff and we'll see where we need to go from here but I said it last week and I'll say it again, there was a reason why Tyson ended training camp as our No. 2 quarterback," Johnson said.

At least he'll know his backup in that case is capable. Keenum was more than up to it against the Eagles with a 24-of-34 effort for 247 yards and two touchdowns, and even snuck the ball in from the 1 1/2-yard line with a QB sneak Johnson called a "Mike Martz special," referring to the former Rams coach and Bears offensive coordinator.

The big difference between Keenum and what the Bears normally see from Williams was how quickly the ball came out. Johnson expected this and it made a difference on several plays, such as the 41-yard TD pass to Kalif Raymond in the third quarter and a 12-yarder to Raymond on the drive to a field goal in the second quarter.

"He knows where everyone is supposed to be on every single play and so he is really quick to recognize coverage, he knows why we're calling the play and what we're looking for and if we're not getting that he's accelerating through it (the progression) really quickly," Johnson said. "That's what you get when you're 15-plus years playing that position in this league. You've seen it all and I thought Eagles (defensive coordinator Vic) Fangio threw a lot at him tonight too. He ran the whole gamut of everything we saw on tape. As far as I'm concerned, we saw a little bit of everything. So Case handled it really well."

Keenum admitted at several points in the past he thought he'd never get into another game that meant something.

"Yeah, you dream of it," he said. "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."

Johnson couldn't help but get in a dig at media and fans who questioned last week whether he could call plays for a quarterback who wasn't the first pick of the draft, or even someone who was less mobile like the 38-year-old third-stringer.

"Well I've got a little history with that calling plays for someone not so mobile," he said. "Now I don't have a history with someone who's not a No. 1 pick though. That was apparently a big deal. But
Case came through. He played lights out."

They had the chance to turn to Bagent at the end of the week, but it would have been with only one day of abbreviated practice. On Saturday, they worked on red zone offense but Bagent missed the rest of it with his concussion.

Switching at the last minute wasn't a real consideration after Bagent cleared the concussion protocol.

"There really wasn't a lot of dialogue about it," Johnson said. "But the end of the week we felt really good about who we were going in the game with."

The fact Keenum had gotten the reps in practice with the first-team receivers was big to Bears coaches after neither of the backups had that many in training camp or preseason.

"During the course of the week, we just saw from the base day to third down day to red zone day just the totality of it all we just felt really good about what that looked like," Johnson said. "It wasn't fair to Tyson not getting those same quality reps with really different pass catchers.

"Think about it, during training camp, how many throws has he had to Rome, how many throws has he had to Luther, we thought when you looked back at it the course of the week was really important to getting a little chemistry going."

Keenum hit Luther Burden for his season high of seven catches (61 yards). He also did something Caleb Williams hadn't done at all and that was get it to Colston Loveland for more than a catch. Loveland had four for 31 yards. Rome Odunze made three for 44 and Raymond had the big night again yardage-wise with six for 90.

The Bears couldn't run and this was expected to be a problem with their third-team QB on the field, but they passed and passed some more and eventually that opened up the run so D'Andre Swift could gain 84 yards and the team 128.

It might have been the way Keenum approached the work week that made it all possible. His manner in the huddle all week set the other players at ease.

"Poised, calm and honestly a guy who was having a lot of fun," Raymond said. "The whole week he was like,
'You guys having fun? Because I am.' That's the way he was. He loves the game."

It was a case where Keenum was having fun proving the doubters wrong once the game began. He noted how they were underdogs at home, although he might need to take a look at the line a little more often. He thought the Bears were 10-point underdoges.

"Yeah, I mean I always have played with a little chip on my shoulder," Keenum said. "I like proving people wrong. I like proving people right though, people who are here supporting me that bought a ticket last minute."

Monday night he had a ton of family and friends who showed up at Soldier Field to express support for him and the veteran delivered.

It very well could be the last chance he gets, since Johnson seems to be leaning to Bagent. It's not an easy decision.

After all, he did outpass Jalen Hurts by almost 100 yards, 247-153. He directed three TD drives and two field goal marches while getting the Bears into scoring range another time before Johnson's failed fourth-down gamble in the red zone.

Those are very impressive numbers. Those who believe in playing the hot hand will have a hard time with Johnson's decision if it is Bagent.

Still, it's Johnson's offense. They got past a major hurdle without Williams trusting his judgment this week when he could have used Bagent. In Ben they trust.

"We've got one of the best quarterback rooms in the NFL," Johnson said.

It sounds like everyone will get a chance to see another person in it next week against the Jets.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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