Coming into Monday night after a 9-3 loss to the Vikings, with third-string quarterback Case Keenum thrust into a starting role, the Bears had several question marks around them in Week 3. They answered those questions in about as decisively as you could possibly imagine.
The Bears trounced the Eagles 27-7 on Monday night, excelling on both sides of the ball in a win to improve their record to 2-1 for the season. Keenum looked impressive in his first start since 2023, and Chicago got back on its feet to get back into the win column.
In a game where many doubted the Bears, they bounced back and showed the nation what they’re capable of. Here are some of my takeaways from Monday’s victory.
Upon initial review, Case Keenum finished with a 79.1 [PFN QB Impact](https://www.profootballnetwork.com/nfl-hq/rankings/quarterback) grade on Monday. Among Week 3 performances, that’s better than the likes of Matthew Stafford, Josh Allen, Jordan Love, and Drake Maye. That’s not too bad for a third-string quarterback who has just four NFL starts since 2020.
Keenum was decisive and poised in Ben Johnson’s offense, scoring three touchdowns with no interceptions while throwing for 247 yards with a 110.8 passer rating. He got the ball out quickly and accurately, he sensed pressure well in the pocket, and he kept the Bears’ offense playing on time. He connected well with the likes of Kalif Raymond and Luther Burden in particular, the former of whom continues to be one of the biggest surprises of Chicago’s season thus far.
The Bears’ passing attack was humming all evening. The pass protection was strong, the receivers got open, and Keenum got them the ball in a timely manner. Johnson adjusted his offense to get the ball out quicker and on shorter passes than what he usually calls with Caleb Williams, and in this game, it worked wonders.
Johnson wasn’t the only Bears coach in his bag on Monday. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen was extremely efficient in disrupting the Eagles’ offensive momentum, relying heavily on the blitz to get to the quarterback quickly and penetrate the backfield.
Allen’s blitz looks were extremely varied, though. You saw your fair share of double-mug blitz looks, but both linebackers didn’t end up rushing the passer every time. T.J. Edwards had one dropped interception where he showed a blitz pre-snap but dropped back into coverage at the last second, and he eventually had an interception in that same assignment later in the night.
Dayo Odeyingbo and Montez Sweat both had sacks. The Bears allowed just 141 net passing yards to Jalen Hurts on Monday, and they picked off him and Andy Dalton once each. Allen kept Hurts guessing all night with the looks he was showing before the snap, and that confusion helped Chicago limit the Eagles to just one score for the game.
In addition to Edwards, the other aforementioned interception the Bears had in Week 3 came from Dillon Thieneman, which marked the first interception of his NFL career. He also added six tackles into the stat sheet to complement his pick, a total which led the team on Monday.
Thieneman has been a bright spot for the Bears’ defense through the first three weeks of the season. His sense of urgency, his quick processing, his electric athleticism on the back end, and his versatility as a coverage threat and a downhill tackler has seen him live up to expectations early in his career. The 2026 first-round pick has been everything Chicago hoped of him and more, and it was encouraging to see the rookie safety continue his strong start to his career.