Case Keenum Made For Great TV

For a guy who has spent most of his career as a backup, Case Keenum suddenly has a decent collection of signature wins. OK, maybe "collection" isn't quite right, but as we sit here this morning we can say for sure that the man has at least two. There is of course the Minneapolis Miracle, and now there is the, uh, Midway Masterclass?

You don't want to overstate an unexpected victory that comes at the expense of an Eagles team that gives away such games as a matter of course, but damn if it didn't feel like a big deal to watch Keenum, pressed into action by Caleb Williams's hamstring injury and Tyson Bagent's concussion, sling the ball Monday night. Perhaps some credit is owed to ESPN's production team, which often goes to embarrassing lengths to hype up every Monday Night Football game, even when circumstance stick them the with an obvious dud. This time, the broadcast went all-in on Keenum, giving him the stage to set up his own sports-movie narrative before kickoff.

Keenum saying, "Hopefully I make those little kids proud" as footage of him hugging his daughter on the sideline plays? Ending the interview with, "We always say Keenums can do hard things"? Man, it's a good thing he didn't go out there and throw three picks.

What he did instead was go out there and light up the Eagles defense for 247 yards and two passing touchdowns in a 27-7 victory. This would have seemed like the ideal game for Bears head coach Ben Johnson to lean on his running attack in order to protect Keenum and minimize risk, but the 38-year-old was seemingly given full access to the playbook. Johnson allowed him to drop back 34 times, and didn't let up even as the Eagles made a point of blitzing. Keenum completed 70 percent of his passes and was nails against pressure. According to ESPN Insights, he went 11-of-11 for 145 yards and two touchdowns against the blitz. His passing chart doesn't look like it belongs to a quarterback who is there just to fill out the roster, but rather one who is trusted to rip balls all over the field. Keenum was good enough that Johnson felt comfortable calling a sucker sneak for him to put the game away in the fourth quarter.

It had been over 1,000 days since Keenum last played in an NFL game. His last time out was as a Texan on Dec. 24, 2023, in a 36-22 loss the Browns. He started that game, but was benched in the third quarter after throwing for 62 yards and two interceptions. Imagine spending the next three years sitting on the bench, stewing over the fact that every day brings you closer and closer to a reality in which your last NFL contribution is getting hooked for Davis Mills on Christmas Eve.

So you can't blame Keenum for making a big deal of this victory, or for soaking in what redemption it has to offer. Of course he gave an emotional speech in the locker room, and of course he went on ESPN's postgame show with his daughter on his lap.

If shown that interview out of context, would you assume that Keenum had just won the NFC championship game? Or maybe that he had just returned to the field after battling a life-threatening illness? Look, football is hard and designed to chew up and spit out players of Keenum's stature. When one of them actually gets one over on the game, you have to allow them their moment.

And don't go assuming that nobody but Bears fans and the Keenum family are going to remember this game three years from now. The 30 for 30 pipeline is getting pretty dry, and some enterprising producer may already be thinking about pitching One Night In September: The Midway Masterclass.