Monday night at Soldier Field brings a strange setup for Chicago: the Bears are down to Case Keenum at quarterback, while the Eagles arrive unbeaten and looking like one of the league’s cleaner early-season outfits.
Philadelphia is 2-0 after taking care of the Commanders and Titans, and the numbers through two weeks are tidy. Sean Mannion’s offense is averaging 329.5 yards and 24 points per game, while Vic Fangio’s defense has been stingy, allowing just 166 passing yards per game, fourth-fewest in the NFL, and 4.97 yards per play, ninth-fewest in the league.
Chicago’s quarterback situation has unraveled fast. Caleb Williams exited last weekend’s loss to the Vikings with a hamstring injury, then Tyson Bagent stepped in before suffering a concussion that kept him out of most of practice this week.
That leaves Keenum to start for the Bears on Monday night. The 38-year-old has started 66 games across 14-plus seasons, but he hasn’t played since 2023.
Keenum’s path to this point has been as well-traveled as they come. He’s now on his eighth team after stops with the Texans, Rams, Vikings, Broncos, Commanders, Browns and Bills, and that experience has meant learning plenty of different systems along the way. This week, he had nothing but praise for Ben Johnson, the coach calling the shots for Chicago.
“He’s gonna go down as probably the best play-caller, play designer, coach-all of the above-when it’s all said and done,” said Keenum, who also shared that he was set to retire two years ago before Johnson called him up to join the Bears. “Some of the stuff that man does is unbelievable. And the way he sees the game, the way he’s able to prepare guys, the way he leads, I am the biggest Ben Johnson fan.”
That kind of familiarity should matter, because the Bears will almost certainly keep things manageable for their emergency starter. The expectation here is that Chicago leans on a simple plan and asks Keenum to be sharp rather than flashy. Bold prediction No. 1: he does just that, finishing with at least a 70% completion rate and no turnovers.
Philadelphia’s offense has also undergone a makeover. The wide receiver room was reshaped this offseason with Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore added in free agency, Dontayvion Wicks acquired in a trade with the Packers, and Makai Lemon taken out of USC in the first round of the draft. DeVonta Smith remains part of the mix, and the group looks deeper than it did a year ago.
Wicks has been the most productive of the new arrivals so far. In two games, the 25-year-old has seven catches for 147 yards, which works out to a team-best 21 yards per reception.
He also hauled in a 64-yard catch and scored a touchdown in the Week 1 win over the Commanders. With his role expanding and his timing with Jalen Hurts growing, the next step feels close.
Bold prediction No. 2: Wicks finally breaks through for his first 100-yard game, doing it against Chicago on Sunday.
And even with all the quarterback chaos on the Bears’ side, this still isn’t the kind of matchup the Eagles should be eager to overcomplicate. The league keeps reminding everyone how fast things can swing - the Commanders beat the Seahawks on Sunday afternoon without Jayden Daniels, proof that any week can produce a surprise. But the safer read is the one that points toward Philadelphia.
Bold prediction No. 3: the Eagles leave Chicago with the win, holding off the Bears 24-21 and moving to 3-0.
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