Tyson Bagent guided the Bears to another win on Sunday, a dominant Week 4 victory over the New York Jets, but in a cruel twist of irony, he won't get the official credit for the win. Instead, that honor goes to Case Keenum. Head coach Ben Johnson gave Keenum the first snap over Bagent, which means he will be listed as the starting quarterback.

As frustrating as that may (or may not) be for Bagent, it points to an intense debate now raging through the NFL media and Bears fans: did Bagent do enough today to keep Keenum from stealing his role as the backup quarterback? The sample size is small, one game apiece, but with Caleb Williams' hamstring injury likely sidelining him for at least one more week, the Bears must determine who gives them the best chance to beat the Green Bay Packers in Week 5.

That said, let's take a brief bird's-eye view of the last two games and determine which quarterback deserves the QB2 role going forward.

The Case for Case Keenum

First things first: Case Keenum's role in the Bears' upset Week 3 win over the Philadelphia Eagles was the kind of performance you see in the movies. He completed 24 of 34 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns with zero turnovers. He deserved his moment in the spotlight. But a careful look under the hood of those numbers belied a game that could have been a catastrophe.

If you think Bagent doesn't put enough zip on his passes, you would be mortified to see some of the pass attempts Keenum made on Monday Night Football. His intended targets frequently had to turn around and slow down to catch the ball, and D'Andre Swift bailed Keenum out on a short third-dow pass attempt that nearly hit the turf in the first quarter.

We also need to talk about the close calls. Several passes that were broken up by Philly's defensive backs could have very easily been intercepted instead, and at least one of them could have been carried back for a touchdown. Keenum also fumbled early in the fourth quarter, before the Bears put the game out of reach, and was fortunate to see the ball bounce straight back up into his arms.

Yes, Keenum played a great game and deserves to remember his performance fondly for the rest of his life. But when it comes to deciding who to start in the next game, we can't get caught up in only the highlights.

The Case for Tyson Bagent

Did Tyson Bagent have his struggles on Sunday afternoon? Absolutely, yes. Did he play as poorly as many angry Bears fans on social media appear to believe? Not even close. Just look at the numbers: 25 of 34 passes for 268 yards plus an interception. He didn't have any touchdowns, but that's because Kyle Monangai was an absolute beast and racked up two red zone touchdowns. He finished with a 77.2 QBR per ESPN, which is 3.1 points better than Keenum.

Did Bagent play an easier defense than Keenum did? Some will say that, but the numbers don't back it up. The New York Jets gave up the second fewest yards per game through three weeks, trailing only the defending Super Bowl champions; the Eagles came in at 12th in this stat. They also gave up the 11th fewest points per game in three weeks, five spots better than the Eagles.

At tomorrow's film review, Bagent is definitely going to be kicking himself on a few plays. But the fact is that he played a good game, and he did his fair share of work to lead the Bears to victory.

The Verdict

For the Bears fans who wanted to see Keenum again on Sunday and believe that Bagent played his way to the bench, I would advise you to prepare to be disappointed again next week. Head coach Ben Johnson has been very clear about how highly he thinks of Tyson Bagent, and nothing that transpired today would be enough to shake his confidence in the 26-year-old quarterback. He made a couple of bad throws, but he also made some truly impressive plays that Keenum might not have pulled off.

Keenum had his moment, and what a moment it was. But, to quote Johnson, there was a reason why Tyson Bagent ended training camp as the Bears No. 2 quarterback. If the Bears decide to rest Caleb Williams another week, and with a 3-1 record they absolutely should not feel any rush to get him back on the field, then Bagent is almost certainly going to get his first start in the historic Bears-Packers rivalry.

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