The Windy City went still when Caleb Williams crumbled to the turf with a lower-body injury in the fourth quarter of the Chicago Bears' Week 2 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. While it looked like the face of the franchise had suffered a potentially catastrophic injury, it was later revealed to be a week-to-week hamstring issue. The Bears can breathe a sigh of relief that Williams did not suffer a season-ending injury, but he's still going to miss some time.
That includes Monday night's showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles. To make matters worse, second-string signal-caller Tyson Bagent is in concussion protocol, so it could be 38-year-old Case Keenum under center for Chicago in Week 3! With the quarterback room quickly falling apart, Bears head coach Ben Johnson is facing a challenge he has never seen before.
In his NFL career as an offensive coordinator or head coach, Johnson has never called plays for a backup quarterback who was forced to make a start. In fact, he's never called plays for a starting quarterback not selected No. 1 overall! That stat comes courtesy of Chase Daniel.
It sounds too crazy to be true, but it's accurate. Williams of course started all 17 games last season during Johnson's first year as a head coach, and Jared Goff never missed a start in Johnson's three years as offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions. Goff never got hurt, and the Lions were never in a situation where they could rest starters in Week 18.
So, how will Johnson fare with a backup quarterback? Or a third-string quarterback who has made just two starts since 2023? Keenum would become the fourth-oldest undrafted quarterback to start an NFL game behind Warren Moon, Jim Hart and Jeff Garcia, according to CBS Sports Research.
The Bears are coming off a 9-3 loss to the Vikings after scoring 59 points in the season-opening win against the Carolina Panthers. The wet weather certainly played a part in the low-scoring affair, but Brian Flores' aggressive defense did its job as well. Running the ball against the Eagles is going to be an important facet of Johnson's game plan -- no matter if Bagent or Keenum is starting.
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