The Bears might be able to manage — temporarily, at least — without starting quarterback Caleb Williams, and that’s thanks to coach Ben Johnson’s ingenuity.
They were underdogs Monday against the Eagles as Williams sat out with a hamstring injury and backup Tyson Bagent was in question after clearing the concussion protocol, but they stunned the Eagles 27-7 behind third-stringer Case Keenum.
It was a tribute to Johnson’s ability to problem-solve, pivoting deftly to build a game plan around a 38-year-old quarterback who hadn’t played in three years.
With the Eagles focused on stopping the run and forcing Keenum to beat them, Johnson unleashed play after play that sprung receivers open. Keenum took full advantage and finished 24-for-34 for 247 yards and two touchdowns for a 110.8 passer rating. He also ran for a touchdown.
‘‘To do it on ‘Monday Night Football’ after you thought you were never going to play again, golly, this was special,’’ Keenum said. ‘‘I don’t know if I’ll be able to put it into words tonight.’’
Keenum put the game away with a sneak at the goal line with 7:19 left, completing one of the most impressive performances in recent Bears history.
It was beyond what anybody reasonably could have expected from him at this stage of his career. And when he was asked whether he imagined the night going as well as it did, he said, ‘‘That’s the kid in you dreaming that you can.’’
On Keenum’s 41-yard touchdown pass to Kalif Raymond that gave the Bears a decisive 20-7 lead late in the third quarter, the Eagles left Raymond completely unguarded as Keenum dropped back. He got the ball out quickly to Raymond across the middle at the 29, and Raymond sprinted past safety Andrew Mukuba to the end zone.
Keenum played well enough that it might be a tough decision for Johnson whether to start him or Bagent on Sunday against the Jets, assuming Williams remains out. Williams is unlikely to be back on the practice field this week, but Bagent should be fully available.
The concern about Bagent leading up to the game against the was that he suffered a concussion late in the loss to the Vikings the week before and wasn’t cleared from the NFL’s protocol until Sunday. Meanwhile, Keenum practiced in full all week and was convincing, Johnson said.
Johnson was noncommittal about who would start going forward and reiterated that Bagent earned the No. 2 spot ahead of Keenum ‘‘for a reason.’’ He used that line Saturday, too, though likely as a misdirection.
That’s an issue for another day. Johnson still gets to revel in what the Bears pulled off Monday night.
‘‘We just continue to fight; it’s something we try to ingrain in ourselves,’’ he said. ‘‘They really don’t bat an eye when things get a little bit sideways. Everyone is ready to respond the right way.’’
Johnson showed his wealth of creativity on the opening drive as the Bears took an early lead on Keenum’s shovel pass to Luther Burden for an eight-yard touchdown.
Keenum underhanded the ball forward to Burden at the Eagles’ 12. He appeared to be stopped at the 4 by a crowd of Eagles, but Bears tight end Colston Loveland and left tackle Braxton Jones pushed him the rest of the way to the end zone.
It was choppy after that, and the offense sputtered on two trips to the red zone in the second quarter.
The tail end of the first half was a struggle, too, as the Bears missed a chance to take a commanding lead. From first-and-goal at the 7, running backs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai lost two yards each on consecutive plays, and the Bears eventually settled for a 29-yard field goal by Cairo Santos to go up 10-0.
It was a grueling game for Swift and Monangai against Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. At halftime, the duo had combined for 20 yards on 12 carries.
The Eagles answered Santos’ field goal with a frenetic drive in the final two minutes of the first half that ended with quarterback Jalen Hurts taking a snap at the goal line with no timeouts left and the clock nearly running out to dive through the line for a touchdown.
That was basically the high point of the night for the Eagles.
With or without Williams, the upcoming schedule gives the Bears a chance to stay afloat in the NFC North and the playoff race at large.
They’re back at Soldier Field to host the Jets, the second-worst team in the NFL last season, before visiting the Packers, who came into the season ahead of the Bears in championship odds but currently have the worst point differential in the league. They follow that with a game at the Falcons, whose only victory was a blowout of the Packers.
There should be at least two victories in there even if Williams remains out — and maybe more after Johnson showed he’s always full of ideas.