While the Chicago Bears got off to a rough start this season, they've rebounded and have started to look more like the team fans were hoping for under first-year head coach Ben Johnson. The vibes in general feel different and more positive, even if there have been some bumps in the road along the way.
Week 7 pits the Bears against the struggling Saints, and it feels like an excellent opportunity for Chicago to move to 4-2 and show they can be for real, not just in the playoff race but in the NFC North title race. Even the emergency quarterback, Case Keenum, is buying into these new-look Bears, trying his best to fire up the Chicago o-line early in the game against the Saints.
After the Bears had to settle for a field goal on their first drive, Keenum was overheard on the sideline speaking to the offensive line and trying to get them hyped for the next drive. "Let [the Saints] f*** up. They're gonna f*** up. We need to operate," Keenum said.
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Keenum might not be the starting quarterback (or even the backup), but he's doing his job of motivating the team and trying to get them all ready to kick some butt. Keenum has been in the NFL for over a decade and has made a nice career out of being a backup signal-caller for four different teams over the last half-decade. Chicago is his latest stop, and he's been the third-string option for the Bears, sitting behind Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent.
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It's nice to see even the emergency signal-caller buying into what Johnson is selling. Now it's time for the rest of the team to follow suit and for this team to continue showing improvements, not just this week but throughout the rest of the season.