Ben Johnson isn’t rushing to settle the Bears’ quarterback picture after Case Keenum’s surprise show in prime time.
Chicago had to lean on its third-string option for its Week 3 “Monday Night Football” matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, and Keenum answered with a sharp performance in a 27-7 win that pushed the Bears to 2-1. Tyson Bagent is expected back for the Week 4 home game against the 1-2 New York Jets on Oct. 4, but Johnson stopped short of naming a starter after the victory.
“We’ll have a discussion as a coaching staff, and we’ll see where we need to go from here,” Johnson said, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “But I said it last week, and I’ll say it again: There was a reason Tyson ended training camp as our No. 2 quarterback.”
Bagent cleared concussion protocol in time to be available against Philadelphia, though he had not practiced before the game. Keenum, meanwhile, hadn’t thrown a regular-season pass in a game since December 2023.
None of that mattered once the lights came on. The 38-year-old completed 24 of 34 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns in the 20-point win.
Chicago’s starter Caleb Williams is expected to miss multiple games because of the Grade 2 hamstring strain he suffered in the Week 2 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 20.
Johnson also pointed to Keenum’s work behind the scenes as part of the reason the veteran looked so comfortable against the Eagles. Courtney Cronin of ESPN reported Johnson’s explanation of the quarterback’s preparation.
“It was the night before the game. We always do our quarterback meeting,” Johnson said.
“[Keenum] ran the show, and the coaching staff kind of took a back seat. There were no reminders from us.
He was just going through the list of every single play that was on the plan, and what he was going to do, and gave us his favorites. And that was really -- I thought that right there is a good indicator of what it's going to look like on game day.”
DraftKings Sportsbook had the Bears as three-point home favorites over the Jets as of Tuesday morning, and the next step in Chicago’s quarterback decision remained unresolved. Whether the nod goes to Keenum or Bagent, the Bears are at least heading into Sunday with a little momentum.
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