The Chicago Bears bamboozled the Philadelphia Eagles defense on Monday Night Football, winning by 20 points behind QB3 Case Keenum who hadn’t started a game in going on three years — and that is precisely why Bears fans should expect Keenum to ride the pine at Soldier Field against the New York Jets in Week 4.
Head coach Ben Johnson would not divulge his plans for the quarterback position during a media session on Wednesday, September 30, though hinted strongly that he and his staff had already made a decision.
“The direction’s already been made, so we’ll be in good shape for Sunday,” Johnson said, per Courtney Cronin of ESPN.
Case Keenum Took Eagles Defense by Surprise on Monday Night Football
ESPN’s Mina Kimes and Ben Solak discussed a couple of reasons why Keenum and Johnson were able to storm a quality Eagles unit captained by accomplished defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
“I’m so mad at myself for not seeing this upset coming,” Kimes said. “Sicko play-caller with a backup quarterback, it truly is the formula.”
Solak, however, did predict a Chicago victory heading into the MNF showdown.
“Ben [Johnson] with a very different stylistic quarterback meant that the offense was going to be very different, and it was gonna be pretty un-scouted,” Solak said. “And then typically when you see a backup quarterback in, in the first couple weeks that the backup’s in, the defense gives you a really impassioned effort. There’s a big conversation in the room that week of like, you know, ‘We’re gonna have to do special stuff.'”
One can make a strong argument that Johnson will transition to Tyson Bagent against the Jets in Week 4, even despite how well things went against the Eagles, for the same reasons that Keenum worked against the Eagles.
All Signs Point Toward Bears Starting Tyson Bagent Against Jets
The Jets don’t have much tape to work with on Keenum, but they have a full game from just two days ago. Of course, Johnson is capable of switching up the game plan and using Keenum in new ways this weekend, but Bagent probably offers the Bears a better chance at more mystery.
Mystery is clearly what Johnson is going for in an effort to force the Jets into double-duty QB preparation in order to create an extra edge heading into Sunday. That also points to Bagent as the guy against New York.
There is also the face that Bagent has been the team’s QB2 all offseason and regular season long. He came in during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2 when Caleb Williams exited with his hamstring injury, and Bagent would have started last week if he hadn’t sustained a concussion that kept him in the league’s mandatory protocol until last Sunday.
Bagent is 12 years younger than Keenum and can make more plays with his legs, which is another reason to think Johnson will go with Bagent this weekend.
So while there is a strong argument to stick with Keenum and the momentum that has gathered behind him in the Bears locker room, it just feels like all signs are pointing to Bagent in Week 4.
Bears’ Ben Johnson Predicted to Make Unforeseen Move at QB for Jets Showdown