CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears beat the Philadelphia Eagles 27-7 at Soldier Field on Monday, Sept. 28, surviving their first game without injured quarterback Caleb Williams since he was drafted No. 1 overall in 2024. The Monday Night Football victory prevented the reigning NFC North champions from falling off the pace set by the undefeated Minnesota Vikings and allows Williams to continue rehabbing his hamstring without pressure to rush back.
Case Keenum delivered the story of the night for head coach Ben Johnson. The 14th-year journeyman, technically Chicago's third-string quarterback, made his debut for his eighth NFL team and started his first regular-season game in more than 1,000 days. Keenum passed for 247 yards and two touchdowns and added his first rushing touchdown since 2019, making a strong case for another start in Week 4 against the New York Jets.
Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts was ineffective through the air in the loss under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. Hurts completed 16 of 25 passes for 153 yards, threw a horrendous third-quarter interception to former teammate T.J. Edwards that killed a comeback chance, and missed a wide-open Dontayvion Wicks for a fourth-quarter touchdown. He did execute a "Tush Push" touchdown from the 1-yard line as time expired at the end of the first half. Hurts was checked for a concussion in the second quarter and cleared the protocol shortly thereafter, but his absence stunted rare momentum when 38-year-old backup Andy Dalton entered for his regular-season debut with the team and threw a drive-killing interception in the end zone on his only attempt. Fourth-year backup Tanner McKee did not play.
Chicago's supporting cast helped fill the void. Wide receiver Luther Burden III, who missed most of training camp and the entire preseason with a groin injury, scored the Bears' first touchdown on an 8-yard effort and is rounding into form as a potential WR1. Veteran tight end Zach Ertz, back with Philadelphia following Dallas Goedert's knee injury, caught his first pass in an Eagles uniform since being traded to the Arizona Cardinals midway through the 2021 season. On the ground, Chicago finished with 128 yards on 35 attempts after ripping Philadelphia for 281 yards in a 24-15 win on Black Friday last season, milking the clock late despite the drop-off without Williams' play-action and RPO threat. Bears QB2 Tyson Bagent cleared concussion protocol over the weekend but did not get the start he hasn't had since Williams was drafted.
The result drops Philadelphia to 2-1 after wins over the Washington Commanders and Tennessee Titans, leaving the Eagles in a first-place tie with the New York Giants and only a game ahead of the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders. Philadelphia now faces a short week before hosting the Los Angeles Rams at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.