The Chicago Bears are set to face the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3, and the reality of Case Keenum as the starter is becoming more real by the day.
Caleb Williams has not practiced since suffering a hamstring injury in the Week 2 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. As for backup Tyson Bagent, he has also missed practice with a concussion and has not yet cleared the protocol.
Chicago may have to lean on its veteran third-string to get through the Eagles game on Monday night. For Bears fans, though, what is considered a successful start for Keenum?
How should success be measured for Case Keenum as Bears' potential starter at QB?
The Bears' offense won't run through Keenum; it will be more about running the ball. Kyle Monangai and D'Andre Swift will have to carry the load for the offense and could see 40 or more touches between them.
Keenum will still run Ben Johnson's offense as usual, but the Bears won't have the mobility advantage that Williams and Bagent have in their game. Johnson will need more stationary passing calls for Keenum, which will require him to stay in the pocket and make the throws there.
That will put more pressure on the receivers to get open and the tight ends to get more involved in the passing game. The good news is that they have guys like Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III with the speed to collect the YAC yards they will lean on, since Keenum doesn't have as strong an arm or as much athleticism as the top two quarterbacks.
Johnson won't want to abandon the passing game completely, since he still has a lot of faith in Keenum. Earlier in the week, the Bears head coach praised his quarterback, calling Keenum another coach and a "baller." Johnson still trusts Keenum to run the offense the way they need to.
This quarterback has gone 30-36 in his career as a starter and led the Minnesota Vikings to the NFC Championship Game in 2017. Keenum has thrown for 15,175 yards and 79 touchdowns, with 51 interceptions.
Even on some bad teams, he's found ways to win games for them. In 2021, he went 2-0 in his starts as the Cleveland Browns' starter, and he went 1-1 as the Houston Texans' starter in 2023, the last time he started a game.
For Keenum, completing at least 60% on this elite Eagles secondary feels like more than fair to get to. He most likely will be able to get between 180 and 200 yards passing in the game. Chicago is going to run the ball more, so Keenum won't be called on too much to get it done.
Read more: 8 bold Bears predictions before playing Eagles in critical Week 3 showdown
If Keenum can get one or two touchdowns in what could be a very low-scoring game, the Bears have a legit shot at winning the game. The biggest thing, though, is Keenum having zero turnovers. As long as he protects the football, the Bears can win this game.
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