The Morning After...the Bears' dominant Week 3 win vs. Eagles - Bears Wire

The Chicago Bears had a statement win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football, where third-string quarterback Case Keenum led the team to a 27-7 win in a game that wasn't as close as the score indicated.

The Bears offense marched down the field on their opening possession, going up 7-0, and they never looked back. Keenum orchestrated Ben Johnson's offense to perfection, completing 24-of-34 passes for 247 yards and accounting for three total touchdowns. The offensive line was again won the battle in the trenches against Philadelphia, which paved the way to victory. Meanwhile, Chicago's defense had an even better showing in Week 3, holding the Eagles to just seven points and forcing three turnovers.

There's plenty to discuss from this game, including the Ben Johnson's coaching prowess, Case Keenum's showing and Dennis Allen's impressive showing with his defense. Our Bears Wire staff is sharing their thoughts on Chicago's Week 3 win vs. Philadelphia.

If there was ever any doubt that Ben Johnson is one of the NFL's best offensive minds, after last week's rough showing, he put those doubts to bed with a masterful game plan against the Eagles. With the Bears down to their third-string quarterback in Case Keenum, the offense didn't miss a beat as they once again bullied Philadelphia in the trenches, which was made even more impressive considering it took a half for the run game to get going and it wasn't at its best. I should've known when Johnson said the team relished everyone doubting that Chicago could win without Caleb Williams that this would be the outcome.

While Keenum is deservedly the biggest story to come out of this game, all props go to Dennis Allen and his defense, which had an even better showing against the Eagles. Philadelphia's offense was held to just seven points -- a last-second Tush Push to end the first half -- and forced three turnovers. The Bears were able to rattle Jalen Hurts and tighten up their run defense after some first-half struggles in an inspired showing that indicates this unit might not be as bad as initially thought back in Week 1.

This game felt like Christmas in September. I picked the Eagles to narrowly edge out the Bears, but I also left the door open for Chicago to surprise me and win if they won the battle in the trenches once again, and that's exactly what happened. This game was exactly what the doctor ordered after an ugly showing against the Vikings last week, and it's a reminder that one bad game doesn't make a season. But a game like this could be the start of something special as Keenum and Tyson Bagent hold down the fort until Williams' return.

What a game. What a night. When I was making my game predictions, something kept telling me the Bears would find a way against the Eagles with Case Keenum. “I can’t help but believe in the magic of 38-year-old Case Keenum” were my exact words; magic is exactly what we got. Keenum had a day that will be talked about for years to come. He was sensational with the football, like he was reading off an answer key while a teacher threw pop quizzes at him every 40 seconds. It was literally the type of game he had not had in SEVEN YEARS. He and Ben Johnson were absolutely cooking on Monday night, and it had me remembering my college days when Josh McCown lit the league on fire for a few weeks.

Keenum got the Bears to a good point in the game, and the defense kept them there. It took some time for Dennis Allen’s group to find their footing because they were getting blown off the ball early on in this one. The Eagles weren’t prepared to play from behind and were way too undisciplined to keep any momentum going. And if not for a millisecond on the clock at the end of the first half, this game ends in a shutout.

For as fun as this was, it still wasn’t perfect. Rome Odunze cannot drop a wide-open touchdown, and the Bears were bailed out by some timely penalties and a questionable coaching decision to have a backup quarterback throw his one and only pass on a critical third down on the one-yard line. But games are four quarters long, and Chicago played them all as hard as they could while Philadelphia faltered. They’re still one of the most dangerous teams in the NFC, whether they have a healthy starting quarterback or not.

It’s a short week, so we may not be able to bask in this victory as long as usual but soak it in as much as you can. These are the ones you remember for years to come.

The Case Keenum game will be etched in Chicago Bears history, and there’s no reason to downplay how significant of the win this was. As great as Keenum played at quarterback, head coach Ben Johnson really made his mark in this victory and let it be known, he doesn’t need a No. 1 overall pick at quarterback in order to be successful.

As great as Keenum played, the Bears defense also deserves plenty of credit after forcing three turnovers, including two interceptions of Jalen Hurts. The Bears needed a statement win, and with all the criticism and doubt surrounding them following the injury to Caleb Williams, their head coach is truly the biggest star of the night. There’s a real conversation to have about Keenum starting next week against the New York Jets.

It isn’t surprising that the Chicago Bears beat the Philadelphia Eagles despite being on their third string quarterback. Most of the folks on this column believed they would. However, it’s the manner in which they did it that makes it so spectacular. 

Not only did Case Keenum “manage the game”, but he played the position with confidence and swagger. He completed 24 passes on top of allowing the run game to flourish. He also made adjustments where necessary when it comes to his operation of the offense. Ben Johnson played a key role in that. 

Speaking of Ben Johnson, this is the type of win that you truly give your head coach his flowers. He took a tough situation with Caleb Williams and made the best of it by scheming up a winning game play with the tools that were left over. The next man up mentality is very real. 

Now, the Bears have a tremendous victory to study film on. Even though Caleb Williams is the supremely talented first overall pick, there is a lot he can learn from Keenum here about efficiency, preparedness, and desire to be great. This was the type of performance that could be the catalyst to a stunning ending. Time will tell.

Going into this game, I figured Chicago would need to run the ball to win and Case Keenum would basically just dink and dunk the ball down the field and just needed to avoid any critical mistakes.  Watching this game, it seemed like the Philadelphia Eagles thought that too because they actually did a good job against the run in the first half of the game but did not seem prepared for what Keenum had in store.

Besides Caleb Williams, it has been a long time since a Bears quarterback had such command of the field.  Keenum went through his reads, got the ball where it needed to be and made numerous throws that were simply jaw-dropping.  The attempted touchdown pass to Rome Odunze was one of those throws; it really should have been a touchdown.

It is unclear how long Williams is going to be out, but Keenum made it clear that the Bears are in good hands until he is able to return.  They still have some things to work out on offense, such as a few drops, but the quarterback position is not a concern.

Defensively, this was genius playcalling by Dennis Allen.  Chicago struggled against the run in the first half, but the Bears effectively shut Saquon Barkley down in the second half.  Really, they shut down the entire Philadelphia offense in the second half as they went three-and-out three times and only had three first downs.  Dillon Thieneman’s interception may have been one of my favorite plays of the night, especially given the irony that Andy Dalton was on the Bears a few years ago.  This game was everything Bears fans could have asked for and then some.

Despite my pessimism going into the game, there were a handful of pathways that could’ve seen the Chicago Bears emerge victorious over Philadelphia. I’m not sure any of them looked like that, though. The value of having the offense function in the way that it did cannot be overstated in the face of a continued multi-week absence for Caleb Williams. That’s the Ben Johnson Effect. Case Keenum (obviously!) deserves his flowers for a stellar performance and applying said effect, too.

At the same time, the thing I’m continuing to think about hours after the fact is the defense. On paper and under Dennis Allen, it’s not a particularly good unit relative to their peers across the league. But what happens is that if this group has the ability to grow their confidence over the course of a game, they collectively rise in strength and become a real problem for the opposition. It’s almost like they become stronger & faster and, before you know it, you’re three turnovers in the hole. It’s an entirely unquantifiable concept (and kind of maddening to try and actually make tangible), but you simply do not want the Bears’ defense to gain traction. 

Ultimately, it’s an essential win for the Bears. It wasn’t without its issues. Johnson leaving points on the board early was fine in hindsight but he needs to settle down on occasion for those instances where it’s not. Rome Odunze’s end zone drop. Sam Roush’s unnecessary dive to the ball to give the Eagles a touchback on an early punt. But this team proved it can remain entirely afloat without Williams courtesy of their ability to scheme and adjust. That sets this Bears team apart from what we’ve become accustomed to.