The Bears didn’t just beat the Eagles on Monday night. They ran them off the field, turning a 27-7 win into one of the league’s biggest shocks of Week 3.
And the biggest surprise of all was the name driving it: Case Keenum. In his first start in three years, he steadied Chicago’s offense while the running game lagged behind for most of the night. The Bears needed his arm, and he delivered.
Keenum opened fast, going 15-of-21 for 149 yards and a touchdown in the first half. He kept rolling from there and finished 24-of-34 for 247 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Whatever label comes attached to him now, the performance made one thing obvious: he’s forced a real quarterback conversation.
Chicago’s ground game, on the other hand, took a while to show up. The Bears managed just 27 rushing yards in the first half and finished with 128 for the game, with much of the damage coming after the outcome was already settled.
Kyle Monangai and D’Andre Swift never really took over the way some expected. This was Keenum’s show.
The passing game also gave Chicago some much-needed answers elsewhere. Luther Burden III had one of his best outings, catching seven passes for 61 yards and a first-half touchdown. The Bears have been waiting for him to make a real imprint, and he finally did.
Kalif Raymond kept his unexpected rise going too. He entered the night as the Bears’ leading receiver and left in the same spot after hauling in six catches for 90 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown in the third quarter. That’s not the kind of sentence anyone would have expected when the night began, but it was true by the end of it.
Defensively, Chicago got key moments from Dillon Thieneman and T.J. Edwards.
Thieneman, who had been piling up tackles over the first two weeks, came up with the game-changing play when he intercepted a pass in the end zone as the Eagles threatened inside the five-yard line. Edwards also made his presence felt in coverage, breaking up three passes and later snagging an interception near the end of the third quarter.
Not everything went smoothly for the Bears’ defense. Jaylon Johnson had a rough night against DeVonta Smith, who beat him repeatedly on jump balls and generally had the upper hand. It was the kind of outing that raises questions the Bears can’t ignore.
Even so, the coaching decisions held up under the pressure of a backup quarterback start. There were some aggressive fourth-down calls in the first half, but the overall approach worked.
Chicago nearly hit 400 yards of offense and protected the ball the entire night. Under the circumstances, that’s the kind of game plan Johnson deserves credit for.
In Other News...
Bears WR Luther Burden Just Created A Serious Problem After Scoring
With Caleb Williams sidelined for a few weeks by a Grade 2 hamstring injury, the Bears have been leaning on 38-year-old Case Keenum to steady the offense, and the veteran quarterback found a welcome target when Luther Burden turned an eight-yard pass into a touchdown. It was the kind of play Chicago needed in a stretch where every clean snap matters, especially with the offense adjusting on the fly to life without its starter.
Burdens moment quickly took a darker turn, though, when he used a racial slur on camera after scoring, a remark that was audible to viewers at home. What should have been a simple highlight now leaves the Bears dealing with an entirely different kind of fallout, one that has little to do with the box score and everything to do with how the team handles the incident from here. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Anthem Decision Turned Soldier Field Into A Fan Debate
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The celebration also carried into halftime, where the team highlighted Latin music history in Chicago as part of the broader tribute. But the anthem choice quickly became part of the conversation beyond the stadium, with reactions split on social media as some fans embraced the nod to culture and others pushed back on the decision. [Read more 🡒]
Troy Aikman Sparked A Bears Debate Fans Werent Having
The Bears Monday night win over the Eagles came with the kind of in-game debate that has become just as much a part of modern football as the play-calling itself. With Caleb Williams sidelined by injury and Case Keenum making the start, Chicago still kept the pressure on Philadelphia and made one of those high-leverage decisions that tells you a coaching staff trusts its approach, even on the road in prime time.
Chicagos choice to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line drew immediate confusion from Troy Aikman in the booth, and plenty of fans were right there with him in the moment. The attempt came up short, but the Bears stayed in control and still finished off the win, adding another data point to the league-wide push toward aggressive fourth-down football, even when the conversation it sparks is the loudest part of the night. [Read more 🡒]