Bears 27, Eagles 7: Case Keenum turns a quarterback emergency into a statement
Starting because Caleb Williams was out with a hamstring injury, Chicago's third-string quarterback accounted for three touchdowns as the Bears dismantled Philadelphia on Monday night.
A Monday night that looked like a problem for Chicago became its best win of the young season. With Caleb Williams sidelined by a hamstring injury, the Bears handed the offense to 38-year-old third-stringer Case Keenum — making his first start since 2023 — and beat the Philadelphia Eagles 27-7. Both teams now sit at 2-1.
The veteran delivered
Keenum was efficient and unbothered in his 67th career start, completing 24 of 34 passes for 247 yards with two touchdown passes — an 8-yarder to Luther Burden and a 41-yard strike to Kalif Raymond — before adding a 1-yard rushing score in the fourth quarter, according to NBC Sports. Chicago outgained Philadelphia 375-248 and held the ball for nearly 37 minutes.
Where it turned
The Eagles actually had life at halftime. Jalen Hurts powered in a touchdown on the tush push to cut the lead to 10-7, and the game was there to be taken. Instead, Philadelphia opened the second half with three straight three-and-outs, managed just 62 yards after the break, and watched Chicago pull away. Hurts finished 16 of 25 for 153 yards with an interception, and the Eagles compounded it all with 10 penalties, a 2-for-9 night on third down, and multiple turnovers, including an interception in the end zone late.
What it means
For Chicago, this is the kind of win that changes how a locker room sees itself: a 20-point margin over the reigning NFC power, delivered without the starting quarterback. The defense that forced Philadelphia into punt after punt looked like the identity the Bears have been chasing.
For the Eagles, the alarm is the offense. One sloppy Monday can be filed away, but the unit has now been held under 155 passing yards by a defense it was expected to handle, and the penalty count suggests a team playing uphill all night. NBC Chicago's winners-and-losers verdict was blunt about which side looked like a contender — and it wasn't the one that reached the NFC's summit last season.