In almost any situation, if you’re on your third-string quarterback as a team during the season, you’re screwed. However, the Chicago Bears‘ situation is unique. Caleb Williams is down with a hamstring injury. He is unlikely to play on Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles. Most expected backup Tyson Bagent to get his first start since 2023, finally seeing an opportunity to show people how much he’s improved. Sadly, he appears to have suffered a concussion in the loss to Minnesota, likely leaving him out as well. That puts the offense squarely in the hands of third-stringer Case Keenum.
This is not your normal third QB. Keenum has been in the league for well over a decade, starting 66 games and serving as a dependable backup for several teams. His intelligence, experience, and strong arm serve as reasons he can still win you a football game in a pinch. One trait of great backups is knowing their job.
They aren’t required to go into the game and be Superman. The objective is simple: get the ball to the playmakers. Bernie Kosar was a great example of this in his later years. When knowledge of the offense is limited, or you haven’t taken many practice snaps, the smart thing to do is look for the guys you know will catch it.
Case Keenum has demonstrated this mentality for years.
Just go back to his most recent start in 2023 with the Houston Texans. The team was pursuing a playoff berth, but quarterback C.J. Stroud was injured. They needed a win over their division rival, the Tennessee Titans. Keenum kept it simple. Of the 36 passes he threw that day, 26 of them went to one of Noah Brown, Dalton Schultz, Devin Singletary, or Robert Woods. Noah Collins was out with an injury. Those four represented the most proven options available for Houston. They ultimately did enough to deliver a 19-16 victory in overtime.
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If that doesn’t convince you, just go back and look at what he did when forced into the lineup with the Minnesota Vikings in 2017. He threw 481 passes after stepping in as the starter. No fewer than 276 of them went to Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs, or Kyle Rudolph. That is 57.38% of all his passes. Case Keenum identifies the primary targets and gets them the ball. That means there likely won’t be any more spreading the ball around. Expect Colston Loveland, Rome Odunze, and Luther Burden to get most of the looks against Philadelphia on Monday night.
The best way to maximize him is on the ground.
He is very much a traditional backup quarterback in the sense that his effectiveness is often maximized by running the ball well. The numbers are pretty crazy. In his career, Keenum was 22-14 in games where his team ran for at least 100 yards. That dropped to an ugly 8-22 when they didn’t. In other words, he was rarely equipped to throw his team to victories.
| Team Rushing Yardage | Wins | Losses | Total Games | Win Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100+ Rushing Yards | 22 | 14 | 36 | 61.1% |
| Under 100 Rushing Yards | 8 | 22 | 30 | 26.7% |
| Total Career | 30 | 36 | 66 | 45.5% |
The good news is the Bears are well-equipped to accommodate this. Head coach Ben Johnson has one of the best running games in the league. You can bet he’ll have big plans to pound the rock on Monday, hoping to ease the burden on Keenum. If the Bears can get it going, the quarterback should see plenty of opportunities on play action. From there, it will be on the other Bears’ weapons to win their matchups.
