Third-string quarterback Case Keenum led the Chicago Bears to a huge 27-7 upset win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.
“I really don’t have any words. There’s so much emotion — so much that went into this week,” the athlete told ESPN’s Laura Rutledge after the game.
The Bears’ starting quarterback Caleb Williams is out with a hamstring injury, and QB2 Tyson Bagent only cleared concussion protocol on Sunday. So Keenum was called up. He threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns and ran in another on a QB sneak, according to ESPN.
“I really don’t have any words.”
Case Keenum caught up with @LauraRutledge after his big night on MNF 🔥 pic.twitter.com/D0voZYnLXm
— ESPN (@espn) September 29, 2026
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The last time Keenum started in an NFL game was Dec. 24, 2023, when he was with the Houston Texans. That’s 1,009 days since he last saw the field.
“All glory to God,” Keenum told Rutledge. “I’m not here without Him. He has put me here; He’s made me for this. I’m so thankful for Him. I can’t thank Him enough. I love this city. This Texas boy loves Chicago. This is a cool spot.”
After the game, he celebrated with his wife and kids. Keenum joked that he wanted to go home and watch the replay of the game with his two children.
“Or probably just BLUEY — they probably won’t want to watch it again,” he said with a laugh. “They’re like, ‘We saw it one time already, Dad.’ But oh man, it’s so special. I love my family. My wife, Kimberly, she’s been here the whole ride. I wouldn’t be here without her.”
Bears head coach Ben Johnson called Keenum’s performance Monday night “extraordinary.”
“It’s all about Case Keenum and what he was able to do here tonight,” Johnson said, per the Chicago Bears. “I thought he did an extraordinary job…He played really efficient football, and I couldn’t be more proud of him for that.”
The week before, the Bears lost 9-3 to the Vikings, a game they should have won.
“Just really proud of the whole team,” Johnson said of his team. “When you get punched in the teeth like that the week before, it’s your first loss, and you’re not sure how you’re going to handle it or respond, and yet these guys handled it the right way. They went back to work. I thought the results of tonight were a reflection of the preparation they put in and the hard work that they put in throughout the week. So, kudos to them on that.”
For Keenum, Monday night was worth the years-long wait. The 38-year-old stepped in when Chicago needed him most and delivered the kind of performance few expected from a third-string quarterback.
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