Caleb Williams' hamstring injury had Tyson Bagent in line to start under center for the Chicago Bears in Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Then came news that Bagent is in concussion protocol, which now means Case Keenum could start.
The last time Keenum had more than 75 pass attempts in a season was before the pandemic, in 2019 with Washington. The last time he even threw a pass in a regular season game was in 2023. His value to a team at this point in his career is intangible, but he has suddenly become very tangibly important to the Bears for at least one game.
In Week 13 last season, on "Black Friday", the Bears fully announced their arrival as a contender with a 24-15 win over the Eagles in Philadelphia. They got it done big time on the ground, piling up 281 yards as D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai combined for 255 yards on 40 carries with a touchdown apiece.
As an easy result of running the ball so much and so effectively, the Bears possessed the ball for over 39 minutes in that game. It was also when Swift and Monangai fully became the "Thunder and Lightning" backfield duo of Ben Johnson's dreams.
Bears need to (and can) replicate last year's winning formula vs. Eagles
No offense to Keenum, but the less he has to throw the ball next Monday night, assuming he starts, the better. Swift and Monangai are in line to get a lot of work, individually and combined, even if Bagent is able to clear concussion protocol with an extra day to potentially do so before the game.
Philadelphia enters Week 3 24th in the league against the run, allowing an even 127 yards per game. While some of that run game production has come from the opposing quarterback in both games, which won't realistically be happening for the Bears without Williams, the 4.2 yards per attempt they've allowed overall stays the same when whittling it down to opposing running backs.
That said, the Eagles still seem to be very gettable on the ground. Swift's notable role in the passing game (however weather-driven) in Week 2, with five catches for 54 yards, could be replicated too, regardless of whether Bagent or Keenum starts in place of Williams.
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Johnson and his offensive staff found a straightforward and, most importantly, winning formula against the Eagles last year. Without Williams, and especially without him, the formula is in line to be replicated in Week 3 with whatever new wrinkles Johnson has up his sleeve.
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