The Chicago Bears finally announced their starting quarterback for Monday night, and it is Case Keenum. Tyson Bagent will back him up. Keenum has not started a regular season game since Dec. 24 of 2023, meaning it has been almost three full years since this guy has actually done his job as a starter. He’s 35 years old, he’s been around forever, and I honestly did not even realize he was still in the NFL.

But at the end of the day, hearing the name Case Keenum takes me right back to one of my favorite memories as an Eagles fan: the NFC Championship Game of the 2017-18 season. Nick Foles was up and down, the Eagles were kind of struggling, and everybody was wondering if this team could actually get to the Super Bowl.

I’ll never forget Keenum rolling the Minnesota Vikings down the field, getting that first score, and all of us sitting there thinking, uh-oh, backup Case Keenum is out here cooking. But it was the Eagles’ backup in Foles who completely elevated to another level. Philadelphia scored 38 unanswered. The Patrick Robinson pick-six, the big Alshon Jeffery play, the flea flicker. That game is a staple core memory for me as a sports fan in this city, and that is my best memory of Case Keenum.

So I’m sure Keenum is going to have nightmares on Monday night. At this point, does he really care? Probably not. He’s getting a paycheck, he’s getting to do what he loves. But he should be terrorized by the Eagles and by Vic Fangio, who are going to put a whooping on him. I’m telling you that right now.

Injury updates change the equation

Now let’s get to the injury picture, because this is the other massive part of this preview. DeVonta Smith was questionable but was a full participant in the last practice. Same thing with safety Andrew Mukuba. Jalen Carter, Tank Bigsby, and Saquon Barkley all had question marks floating around them, but Saquon had an MRI and seems to be fine. Dallas Goedert is out. The main question is whether Zach Ertz will play. I think he’s probably going to get to that point, and the Eagles need him for sure. Fred Johnson and Hollywood Brown are out, and Will Shipley was limited.

But the biggest news of the day is edge defender Jonathan Greenard. The veteran, who has been dealing with a pectoral injury and has not played yet this season, was seen warming up at practice and is most likely going to give it a go.

This is what we predicted as we covered previously. Let him sit against Tennessee, even though the Eagles could barely afford that, and let him come back for Chicago in a big Monday night game. Maybe the magnitude isn’t what we thought it was going to be, maybe the stakes aren’t as high, but prime time, everybody’s watching, and you want to go 3-0. Greenard being back is going to be massive for a defensive line that has struggled and been leaky late in games.

On Chicago’s side, the injury report looks clean outside of Caleb Williams being out. Noah Sewell and Shemar Turner are also out, but the rest of the roster is good to go.

Key No. 1: Which offensive line comes alive?

The Eagles’ offensive line ranks sixth in pass blocking (which I don’t really believe, stat-wise) and 22nd in run blocking, via ESPN. The Bears rank 15th in pass blocking and third in run blocking. Both of these lines have been susceptible. If you only look at the stats, they don’t seem that bad, but if you watch the tape, they’ve both been rough. The Eagles are going with the same lineup as last week, with Cam Jurgens sliding over and Drew Kendall at center. Can Jurgens hold up?

On the defensive side, which pass rush can finally come alive? The Eagles rank 28th in pass rush and 10th in run defense, and their run defense has been poor in the second halves. The Bears are dead last, 32nd, in pass rush and 25th in run defense. Whatever team can dominate in the trenches is going to win this game. Simple as that.

Key No. 2: The running game and time of possession

I know Jalen Hurts has been putting the team on his back, and I expect him to do that again if the situation calls for it. But the running game is what scares me about Chicago. The Eagles gave up 132 rushing yards in Week 1 and 122 in Week 2. That is not good at all compared to the Fangio standard.

Chicago’s rushing offense had 291 yards in Week 1 and 134 in a game where they only scored three points. That duo of Kyle Monangai and DeAndre Swift is dangerous. Swift has 169 yards so far, averaging five yards per carry. And Monangai has 147 yards, averaging 7.4 per carry. That’s how they win the game. Saquon Barkley, on the other hand, hasn’t been able to break anything open. Part of it is the offensive line, and he was hurt last game, but he’s averaging 4.8 per carry on only 19 attempts for 92 yards. This has to be a big game on the ground, and the Eagles have to dominate time of possession, stay on the field, tire out that defense, and make it happen.

We’ve seen that Keenum is the archetype for this. If you pressure him, he is going to look terrible. If you let him sit back there all day, he’ll have a field day. The Bears are going to come in and run the ball as much as they can. That is their only hope of winning.

The matchups to watch

Both teams still have a lot to prove and a lot left in the tank. Chicago’s cornerbacks are solid players. Jaylon Johnson has been a Pro Bowler but hasn’t played well to start the season. So Hurts is going to have to make some big throws and spread the ball around. On the other side, it’s hard to evaluate Chicago’s passing game with a different quarterback, but Colston Loveland has barely touched the ball in the first couple games after being a standout rookie last season. There remains a lot to be seen.

Prediction: Eagles 27, Bears 13

I don’t think this is going to be pretty. I don’t think it’s going to be a clean game. Hurts may have to make some superhero plays again to win. But the Eagles’ main key should be getting the run game going, hoping Jurgens can block, and stopping the two-headed monster of Swift and the Bears’ rushing attack. If you let Chicago extend drives, move the sticks, and tire this defense out, it’s going to be a very long night.

But the Eagles, I believe, will give Case Keenum nightmares just like they did in that NFC Championship Game. That game was 38-7. This one won’t be that much of a blowout. It might be an ugly one. But I’m taking Philadelphia 27-13. Eagles win by two touchdowns. Maybe that’s a bit of a bold take, but I just don’t think the Bears are going to be able to do much offensively without Caleb Williams.