The Chicago Bears have their marching orders going into tonight’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles and they officially have identified their field general that will be leading the offense in place of an injured Caleb Williams.

Veteran quarterback Case Keenum will in fact be making his first NFL regular season start tonight since December of 2023. His backup will be Tyson Bagent, who cleared concussion protocol on Sunday but did not get enough practice in during the week to start this game against the Eagles (however he is certainly an option to start Week 4).

With that decision now official, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio now knows for sure which quarterback his unit should expect to face, although Chicago’s quarterback uncertainty didn’t real impact much of Philly’s game-planning.

“Not as much as you think, Fangio said. “They’re an under-center offense a good bit, so it’s not like it’s a lot of gun zone-read, QB-generated runs. They’re under center, handing it off. They do a great job blocking.”

Chicago Bears have a clear plan for how to attack Vic Fangio’s defense later tonight

The last time the Bears faced the Eagles, in Week 13 last season, you didn’t hear Caleb Williams’ name very much. The names you heard a lot were D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, Chicago’s RB duo that each eclipsed 100 rushing yards in that game.

Everyone returning on the Eagles defense remembers that game vividly and I’m sure it was a major talking point every time Fangio addressed his defense this week. Speaking of Fangio’s defense, it’s one Bears fans know very well. And one Keenum knows very well too, considering he has a perfect 3-0 record in his career against a Fangio-led defense.

“They’re a sound football team,” Keenum said Wednesday. “They play tricks on your eyes. They do a really good job pre- and post-snap, and there’s not a lot of tells to tell you what the coverage is going to be beforehand. You have to be on your Ps and Qs because they’ll mix up the pressure and simulate some pressure, try to get some one-on-ones there while they’re still getting everybody out in coverage. Obviously we have some history with them; I have some history with them. I think it’s going to be a heck of a football game.”

While the Bears plan to lean into the run game, I don’t expect things to look any different in terms of heavily favoring it just because Keenum is at quarterback. He’s an experienced player and still can throw the rock downfield with some precision. However, this Eagles’ defense is hungry for a takeaway as the only team in the NFL who has yet to force one this season, so Keenum can’t try to force a big play just to have a big play.

“You’re going to have to be patient,” offensive coordinator Press Taylor said. “You’re not going to get this big, long explosives the way they play in the shell, the way everything starts out of the shell. They just do a great job of playing a variety of different fronts and techniques, ultimately to try to do the same idea at the end of the day: limit the explosives and make you go the long, hard way. It’s hard to go 14, 15 plays and score on a drive, and that’s kind of what they force you to do.”

Back in that Week 13 game, Chicago on four of their 12 offensive drives. Three of those four drives were 10+ plays. But, if the run game is as effective as it was last time, Chicago shouldn’t have any worry about driving down the field and taking their time doing it.

The Eagles have two key players that could present issues for Chicago’s offense

As for the Eagles’ side of things, there are two players I’m concerned about in this game and both play on the interior of the defensive line. Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter could be major challenges for this offensive line, and I am particularly worried about how center Garrett Bradbury holds up against Davis.

“Up front, those are some of the best two guys up front that are playing the game right now,” Keenum said. “And I think all over the board, you look at playmakers that they have on the defense, so we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

The one difference between Keenum and Williams is that Keenum is nowhere near the elusive scrambler that Williams is. If Davis and Carter get consistent pressure and collapse the pocket up-front, I don’t think the Bears will find much success outside the pocket with Keenum. He could prove me wrong, even at the ripe age of 38-years-old.

Truthfully, no one knows what to expect from Keenum. The Bears have full confidence after seeing him every day over the last two years in this offense. That’s enough to give me confidence, but I have to say I’m still uncertain of what to expect. But if Keenum can turn back the clock and get the ball out quick – along with having a strong run game – Ben Johnson’s offense should be able to bounce back in this one.