I don’t want to give my editors more ideas because I’ve already given the backup quarterbacks too much attention this season, but part of me wants to rank the top third-string signal-callers in the NFL to give Case Keenum more praise. 

He was that good Monday night in the Bears’ 27–7 victory against the Eagles while filling in for Caleb Williams, who’s dealing with a hamstring injury, and Tyson Bagent, who was recently cleared from the concussion protocol. Without much thought, Keenum would likely be listed near the top, and there’s probably no other quarterback you would rather have when you’re down to the third quarterback on the depth chart, considering Keenum’s history playing the role. 

Keenum is best remembered for orchestrating the Minneapolis Miracle against the Saints and guiding the Vikings to the NFC championship game with Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Bradford on the shelf for most of the 2017 season. Somehow, we’re nearly a decade removed from Sean Payton doing the Skol clap prematurely to taunt Vikings fans before Keenum miraculously hit Stefon Diggs for one of the best walk-off touchdowns in postseason history. 

Maybe I’m getting too carried away with my Keenum praise because there haven’t been many highs since that memorable 2017 season. (He wasn’t very good as the Broncos’ full-time starter after leaving Minnesota the following season.) Still, it was impressive to see the kinds of plays the 38-year-old Keenum pulled off against a stout Eagles defense in his first start since 2023. 

What transpired Monday night also says plenty about Bears coach Ben Johnson, who can now say he can win games calling plays for a backup quarterback. Jared Goff started every game during all three of Johnson’s seasons as the Lions’ offensive play-caller, and Williams didn’t miss a game in Johnson’s first season in Chicago. 

Not that we needed to see him check off this box, but Johnson provided more evidence that he’s the real deal as a head coach. It wasn’t just the plays called for Keenum that stood out. It was also about Johnson making the right call to go with Keenum despite Bagent being cleared to play Monday night. There was no sense of urgency to rush back a player who sustained a concussion a week ago. Everything was under control and the Bears (2–1) are right there with the Lions (2–1) and the undefeated Vikings near the top of the NFC North standings even with their star quarterback sidelined. 

The Bears are going to be all right for quite some time with Johnson making the decisions—even if he does make a questionable fourth-down call every now and then, like he did in the first half against the Eagles. Last season, Johnson provided structure for Williams, but he also allowed him to play outside the guardrails pretty often because he knew what Williams was capable of when extending plays and making something out of nothing. Seeing the occasional mistakes that came from that freedom must have really annoyed Johnson, but that partnership is better off now because of that experimental phase that eventually led Chicago to the divisional round of the postseason.

On Monday, we saw what a Johnson-led offense could do when a less talented quarterback is playing within his scheme. That might sound like a shot at Keenum, but I already gave him plenty of praise for lighting up the Eagles. Even Keenum (24-of-34, 247 yards, 2 TDs) said in his TV postgame interview that Johnson was cooking with his play-calling. 

Philadelphia probably wished it had gone with its third-stringer Tanner McKee after Andy Dalton’s costly interception in the end zone while Jalen Hurts was being checked out in the blue medical tent in the first half for a concussion. 

QB2 or QB3, it really doesn’t matter where Keenum was listed on the depth chart. He was sensational, connecting on explosive plays with Kalif Raymond, Luther Burden III and Rome Odunze, and even got tight end Colston Loveland involved after the tight end had only one catch for three yards in the first two games. 

However, we know that eventually Keenum will hit a snag because that tends to happen for most backups—even for the greatest QB3s of all time. But considering all the right decisions Johnson has made since being hired by the Bears, he’ll likely know when it’s time to pull Keenum for Bagent if Williams is out for a few more games. It wouldn’t be surprising if Johnson goes with Bagent next week despite how Keenum played on Monday night. 

After Williams was carted off last week against the Vikings and before we knew that his injury wouldn’t force him to miss a significant amount of time, it didn’t seem all was lost in Chicago because of the Johnson factor. He’s a terrific play-caller, but what he did with Keenum in prime time showed he’s a lot more than that for the Bears.