Sports fever in Chicago after Bears victory, ahead of start of Cubs, White Sox playoff series

The Chicago Bears won big Monday night, as third-string quarterback Case Keenum filled in for Caleb Williams and led the Bears past Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles for a 27-7 win.

The Bears scored on their opening drive. Keenum's shovel pass to Luther Burden went for an eight-yard touchdown.

In the second half, Keenum found Kalif Raymond for a 41-yard score, and then ran a touchdown of his own. Altogether, Keenum threw for 247 yards in place of Williams, who missed a game for the first game time in his career with a hamstring injury.

After the game, Raymond shared what Keenum told the team before kickoff.

"He's been doing it a long time. It's funny, he said it pregame. 'He was like, I may not be a cowboy, but this is definitely not my first rodeo,'" Raymond said. "So no, a lot of confidence in him, a lot of confidence in himself. And to be honest, the way he practiced prep every week, but particularly this week, didn't expect anything different from him."

Coach Ben Johnson said Keenum set the tone before he ever took the field.

"He tackled everything this week with enthusiasm. I think the guys really responded to how he was approaching," Johnson said, "and they knew. They knew going into it. Whether it's Caleb, whether it's Tyson [Bagent], whether it's Case, like we've got one of the best quarterback rooms in the NFL."

Meanwhile, the Bears defense forced three turnovers.

Chicago sports have a lot more ahead, as in the world of baseball, both the Cubs and White Sox were set to open their playoff series on Tuesday.

The White Sox will open their MLB wildcard series against the Houston Astros in Houston at 4 p.m. Tuesday. Back before they switched leagues, the Astros, of course, were the White Sox's World Series opponent in 2005.

At 9 p.m. Tuesday, Matthew Boyd starts for the Cubs against the San Diego Padres.

Both series are best of three.

If that's not enough, the Chicago Blackhawks start their season against the Golden Knights in Las Vegas Tuesday night, and the Chicago Bulls begin training camp on Tuesday.

Back at Soldier Field, the Bears host the Jets Sunday.