The Bears might be able to manage, temporarily, at least, without starting quarterback Caleb Williams, and that’s thanks to coach Ben Johnson’s ingenuity.
They were heavy underdogs Monday night against the Eagles as Williams sat with a hamstring injury and backup Tyson Bagent was in question after clearing concussion protocol, but stunned the Eagles 27-7 with third-stringer Case Keenum.
It was a tribute to Johnson’s ability to problem solve, something that sets him far apart from predecessors Matt Eberflus and Matt Nagy. Neither could pivot when Plan A failed, but Johnson adapted deftly to building a game plan around a 38-year-old quarterback who hadn’t played in three years.
With the Eagles prioritizing stopping the run and forcing Keenum to beat them, Johnson unleashed play after play that sprung receivers open. Keenum took full advantage and finished 24-of-34 passing for 247 yards and two touchdowns for a 110.8 passer rating.
He put them away with a sneak at the goal line with 7:19 left, completing one of the most impressive performances in recent Bears history.
On his touchdown pass to Kalif Raymond that gave the Bears a decisive 20-7 lead late in the third quarter, the Eagles left Raymond completely unguarded as Keenum dropped back from the Philadelphia 41-yard line. Keenum got the ball out quick to him across the middle at the 29, and Raymond sprinted past safety Andrew Mukuba to the end zone.
Keenum played well enough that it could be a tough decision for Johnson whether to start him or Bagent against the Jets on Sunday, assuming Williams remains out. Williams is unlikely to be back on the practice field this week, but Bagent should be fully available.
The concern about Bagent leading up to the Eagles game was that he suffered a concussion late in the loss to the Vikings the week before and wasn’t cleared from the NFL’s protocol until Sunday. Meanwhile, Keenum practiced in full all week.
Most likely, Johnson will gladly keep the decision as murky as possible going into a matchup against Jets coach Aaron Glenn. He and Glenn were coordinators with the Lions before both took head-coaching jobs for the first time in 2025.
That’s an issue for another day. Johnson still gets to revel in what he pulled off Monday night.
The Bears came out hot, and Johnson showed his wealth of creativity on the opening drive as the offense took an early lead on Keenum’s shovel pass to Luther Burden for an eight-yard touchdown.
Keenum underhanded the ball forward to Burden at the 12-yard line, then he appeared to be stopped at the 4 by a crowd of Eagles, but Bears tight end Colston Loveland and left tackle Braxton Jones pushed him the rest of the way to the end zone.
It was choppy after that, and the offense sputtered on two trips to the red zone in the second quarter.
On the first, Keenum completed a pass to Loveland that first appeared to be a touchdown, but was spotted just outside the goal line after a replay review. Those inches made a big difference for the Bears, who backtracked to the 3-yard line, and Keenum threw incomplete on fourth-and-goal.
Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell cut in front of Burden on the left side and nearly picked off the pass with nothing but open space ahead of him. Nonetheless, he deflected it for the turnover on downs.
The tail end of the first half was a struggle, too, as the Bears missed a chance to take a commanding lead. From first-and-goal at the 7-yard line, running backs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai lost two yards each on consecutive plays, and the Bears eventually settled for a 29-yard field goal by Cairo Santos to go up 10-0.
It was a grueling game for Swift and Monangai against Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. At halftime, the duo had combined for just 20 yards on 12 carries.
The Eagles answered Santos’ field goal with a frenetic drive in the final two minutes that ended with quarterback Jalen Hurts taking a snap at the goal line with no timeouts and the clock nearly running out to dive through the line for a touchdown.
That was basically the high point of the night for the Eagles.
With or without Williams, the upcoming schedule gives the Bears a chance to stay afloat in the NFC North and the playoff race at large.
They’re back at Soldier Field to host the Jets, the second-worst team in the NFL last season. Then there’s a visit to the Packers, who came into the season ahead of the Bears in championship odds but currently have the worst point differential in the league. They follow that with a game at the Falcons, whose only win was a blowout of Green Bay.
There should be at least two wins in there even if Williams remains out — and maybe more after Johnson showed Monday he’s always full of ideas.
