Case Keenum, 38 and Third on the Depth Chart, Carves Up the Eagles

Philadelphia's defense sent the house at Case Keenum on Monday night. Twelve blitzes, by ESPN's count. Keenum completed all 11 of his passes against them, for 145 yards and both of his touchdown throws.

That was the story of a 27-7 Chicago win at Soldier Field, and it came from a quarterback who hadn't started an NFL game in 1,009 days. Keenum, 38, only got the job because Caleb Williams is out three to four weeks with a Grade 2 hamstring strain and Tyson Bagent didn't clear the concussion protocol until Sunday. Bagent ended up as his backup.

Keenum finished 24 of 34 for 247 yards with two touchdown passes, a 1-yard sneak for a third score and no turnovers. It was his first rushing touchdown since 2019.

He didn't play like a stopgap

The Bears opened with an 11-play, 66-yard drive that ended with a shovel pass to Luther Burden III for an 8-yard score. In the third quarter Keenum found Kalif Raymond wide open for a 41-yard touchdown, and Raymond finished with six catches for 90 yards.

When the run game stalled, with 27 yards at halftime, Ben Johnson didn't take the ball out of his quarterback's hands. Keenum said that was when he felt the coach's trust most: "He showed it, not just said it."

The sneak came at the end of a 13-play drive that burned more than eight minutes, and Keenum kept it alive by drawing Moro Ojomo offside on fourth-and-2. That made it 27-7 with 7:19 left.

Keenum in 2017, when he played for Minnesota, one of the seven franchises he has won starts with.

Keenum now has wins as a starter with seven franchises, tied with his old Houston teammate Ryan Fitzpatrick for the most in NFL history. Only Todd Collins won a start for the Bears at an older age. And Chicago's 20-point margin was its biggest on Monday Night Football since 2010.

A rough night for Philadelphia

The Eagles turned it over three times and still haven't forced a turnover this season. Jalen Hurts went 16 of 25 for 153 yards and threw a fourth-down interception to T.J. Edwards late in the third quarter. Saquon Barkley ran for 82 yards on 15 carries, and Philadelphia managed just 62 yards after halftime.

The biggest swing came in the second quarter. Hurts took a late hit from D'Marco Jackson on the sideline and was pulled for a concussion check, and Andy Dalton was intercepted in the end zone by rookie Dillon Thieneman while Hurts waited to be cleared. "I don't think anybody coached well. I don't think anyone played well," Nick Sirianni said.

Both teams are 2-1. Chicago lost left tackle Braxton Jones to a knee injury in the third quarter, which is worth watching with a backup quarterback taking the snaps.

Next up, both teams play at home Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on FOX: the Bears against the New York Jets, the Eagles against the Los Angeles Rams. With Williams still weeks away, Keenum should get at least one more start. After Monday, that's not the scary thought it was a week ago.