Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent made his first official start since 2023 against the Green Bay Packers in Week 5, but he didn’t make it to the end.
The Bears benched Bagent for veteran backup Case Keenum on their first drive of the fourth quarter against the Packers on Sunday, pulling him from the game after the former undrafted free agent threw his second interception late in the third quarter.
Bagent struggled immensely against the Packers, completing just 12 of his 21 passes for 87 yards and throwing two interceptions to zero touchdowns in three quarters. His poor performance prompted calls from the fans for Chicago to bench him — long before the team actually yanked him from the game and turned to their 38-year-old.
Afterward, Johnson explained why the Bears benched Bagent when they did.
“We felt like we just wanted a little spark there,” Johnson said in Sunday’s postgame. “Tyson could just never feel like he got into a rhythm here today. We’ll look at why that was the case. And [then] the second interception happened, and we just felt like, ‘Let’s give Case a chance out there and see if we get different results.'”
Ben Johnson Calls Out Bears’ Turnovers in Packers Loss
Bagent threw two interceptions against the Packers, but things did not get much better once Keenum started trying to dig the Bears out of their hole.
While Keenum threw for more yards (108) with one fewer completion (11), his first three drives in the fourth quarter all ended in turnovers. Keenum was responsible for two of them, too — a forcing-it interception and a strip-sack fumble.
The Bears also saw starting wide receiver Rome Odunze lose a fumble on the drive between Keenum’s two turnovers, adding insult to injury in the blowout.
“We’ve got to do a better job of taking care of the football,” Johnson said. “Three interceptions as a whole. That’s too many. Hard to overcome five turnovers.”
Bears Non-Committal About Tyson Bagent for Week 6
The Bears are eagerly awaiting the return of starting quarterback Caleb Williams, who appears to be making steady progress toward returning from his hamstring injury after an encouraging throwing session before Sunday’s game.
Johnson also left the door open after the loss for Williams to return to the lineup against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6, saying it will be “close” deciding whether to start him next week or hold him out until Week 7 against New England.
As far as Week 6 goes, though, Johnson was non-committal about whether Bagent will get another crack at starting for the Bears if Williams is unable to play.
“We’ll do the same thing we do every week,” Johnson said. “We talk as a staff, we’ll recap this game and we’ll make a decision going into next week that’s best for us.”
Bears’ Ben Johnson Sends Message on Benching Tyson Bagent vs. Packers