Case Keenum to start at QB for Chicago Bears on Monday night vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The Chicago Bears will look to rally from last week's ugly loss to the Vikings when they host the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night at Soldier Field.
Third-string quarterback Case Keenum will get the start with starting quarterback Caleb Williams expected to miss 3-4 weeks with a hamstring injury, and second-stringer Tyson Bagent only getting in one day of practice this week after recovering from a concussion.
Keenum, 38, hasn't played a snap in a regular season game since 2023 when he was with the Houston Texans, but he's 3-0 in his career against Vic Fangio defenses, having completed 59 of 83 passes for 528 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions.
WBBM Newsradio sports anchor Josh Liss said, while Keenum's age isn't much of a factor, the game is still physical.
"Who's going to roll up on your leg? Who's going to kind of catch you at the wrong angle? It's a physical game, and it doesn't matter if you're a high-priced $100 million quarterback or not, the game's going to get you at some point or another. The dice is rolled every Sunday, and you just hope it's not your quarterback that goes down that week," Liss said.
Keenum said on Wednesday that he feels "very prepared" for his first start in three years.
"I think people don't realize in general in the NFL how little reps go around during a game week. The starter usually gets all of the first-team reps, and maybe a few for the backup here and there," he said. "You know, you're trying to bank stuff from training camp, but yeah, I feel very prepared."
As Keenum put it, being a backup is something he's done for a long time in this league, and he knows how to be ready if his name his called. He also said still feels physically good as well and as good mentally as he's ever felt.
Wide receiver Rome Odunze said he's gotten a good amount of work with Keenum during the offseason.
"Obviously training camp, offseason we train with everybody; you know, you catch passes from everybody. So when it comes to a chemistry sort of thing, it's not really something I'm worried about. You know, Case can dial it up and can sling it with the best of them, so I'm excited for that," he said.
Keenum's age was brought up a couple times in his press conference on Wednesday. Even with 66 starts in his career, the veteran backup said he'll still feel some nerves if his number's called Monday.
"If didn't love it, if I didn't have those feelings, if I wasn't nervous, I'm going to go something else, like I don't know, jump out of airplanes or bungee jump, try to get it some other way. But, yeah, I love this game, and heck yeah, I tell that to kids all the time. I get nervous, and I'm 38 years old," he said.
Kickoff for Monday night's game is set for 7:15 p.m., and the Bears will mark Hispanic Heritage Month with some special additions ahead of the game.
Grammy-winning band Mariachi Herencia de Mexico will make Bears history as the first mariachi band to perform the national anthem at Soldier Field. They also have performed the national anthem for the Bulls, Cubs, and White Sox.
