This performance will rank among the most memorable in franchise history, as third-string, 38-year-old quarterback Case Keenum leads the Chicago Bears to a 27-7 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3.
Keenum shined on Monday Night Football, completing 24-of-34 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions. He also rushed four times for six yards and scored a one-yard touchdown in the second half to seal the win.
It's the kind of performance that will become Windy City lore: Keenum came in for the injured Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent and pulled off a great win. How should you grade his performance, though?
Let's give Case Keenum a grade for his Chicago Bears starting debut
What was most impressive about Keenum's performance was that the Eagles actually got a lot of pressure on him all night. His ability to navigate the pocket, take hit after hit, and still complete a pass in his face was amazing. He's not known for using his legs and is more of a pocket passer, so what he did was impressive.
It was all about his accuracy and how, with a hand in his face and his back foot thrown off, he could still complete a pass with ease. He could execute the back foot, even with pressure from the Eagles' defensive line.
How about the fact that he spread the ball around pretty well with his pass catchers? Colston Loveland finally got involved with four receptions and almost had a touchdown catch if he'd stretched out to get it. Kalif Raymond and Luther Burden III were Keenum's guys, though, accounting for 13 of the team's 24 catches.
Chicago struggled to run the ball for most of the game, averaging just 3.7 yards per carry. That put a lot of pressure on Keenum to perform, and he answered the bell in a way no one expected.
That said, there were probably three or four passes where Keenum sailed on the ball and, if they were in the wrong spot, they could have been easily picked off. He had a pass that was low to the ground, but Eagles safety Andrew Mukuba nearly picked it off. It didn't matter, though, as Eagles corner Riq Woolen was called for a penalty on the play anyway.
Overall, this performance deserves praise for a long time. Keenum came into a tough spot as a third-stringer and was asked to lead a team as a starter for the first time in three years against a very good Eagles defense on national television. He somehow made it look so easy, though, and made himself a Chicago legend.
Read more: The 25 greatest defensive players in Chicago Bears history
Final Grade: A-
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