Case Closed: It's Tyson Bagent's turn to start

Case Keenum had a glorious moment, but not necessarily a defining one in leading the Bears to a 27-7 upset of the Eagles on Monday Night Football at Soldier Field.

It's possible that Ben Johnson's offense is so quarterback friendly that any competent veteran can step in and run it at peak efficiency, with sustained success. But it's also possible that this was a fleeting moment that could fade now that NFL defensive coordinators have tape of Keenum in Ben Johnson's offense to evaluate and can better expose his weaknesses.

That's hardly an uncommon effect in the NFL, which often has a lag time in responding to change — like the league finding the hole in a hitter's swing in baseball. Last season, the Bears were the first team to play the Packers without Micah Parsons starting — and, even with Johnson's offense in high gear, were shut out in the first half and had three points with two minutes left in the fourth quarter before a desperation-fueled rally led to a 22-16 overtime victory at Soldier Field. The Ravens scored 41 points on the Packers with Tyler Huntley at quarterback the following week, and the Packers defense hasn't been the same since losing their star pass-rusher.

That's not that rare. In 2019, the Bears played the Vikings without defensive end Akiem Hicks and linebacker Roquan Smith (a mysterious game-night late scratch). It looked like a recipe for disaster, with the Vikings averaging 26 points and running back Dalvin Cook averaging a league-best 125 rushing yards per game. But with Nick Williams playing for Hicks and Nick Kwiatkoski playing for Smith, the Bears shut down Cook (14 carries, 35 yards) and stifled the Vikings' offense in a 16-6 victory.

Keenum's victory was his first as a starter since 2023 with the Texans, when he replaced injured C.J. Stroud against the Titans. After digging a 13-0 hole with a pick-six, Keenum recovered to complete 17-of-26 passes for 186 yards and a touchdown (a 99.2 passer rating) in a 19-16 overtime victory. The following week against the Browns, Keenum started slowly and never recovered. He was benched in the third quarter in favor of Davis Mills in a 36-22 loss — with a 31.6 passer rating (11 of 17, 62 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions).

That doesn't mean Keenum will fade again this time if he starts against the Jets on Sunday at Soldier Field. There's no telling the power of Ben Johnson's offense to lift any player above his normal performance. But Keenum still is the No. 3 quarterback. So turning to Bagent against the Jets would still be standard operating procedure for Johnson. And very likely the correct move. He made Bagent his No.2 quarterback for a reason, and should trust his judgment as much as everyone else does.

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