What were we getting Monday night? A Ben Johnson team with a veteran quarterback who could handle the moment? Or another serving of the same old Bears shit?
Then came that opening drive.
What a fucking drive.
For a minute, I thought I was watching Joe Montana and Bill Walsh working through their opening script. Run, pass, deception. Everything had a purpose. Case looked comfortable, the offense looked prepared, and Philadelphia looked like it hadn’t studied for the test.
That’s what I’ve been waiting to see.
The Bears weren’t just moving the ball. They were making the Eagles react to them.
By the end of the night, we’d practically tossed these boys out for wearing fucking sneakers.
Throw it to your Pros, not your Joes
Ben Johnson and Case Keenum kept coming back to something that apparently needs to be written on the walls at Halas Hall:
When Philadelphia started making the run harder, Johnson adjusted. Unlike the Vikings game, he found answers in the passing game, and Keenum delivered.
Raymond stepped up. Luther looked dangerous. The offense kept Philadelphia off balance.
And give the offensive line its flowers. After last week’s disaster, watching that group hold up against Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis was a beautiful thing.
It looked like they took last week personally.
Keenum had room to operate, got the ball out, and let the guys around him make plays.
Bro, sometimes football really can be that simple.
Rome, you have to catch that ball, Son.
My wife saw the Odunze drop and said, “Are you fucking kidding me?”
Exactly.
Case put that ball where Rome could catch it, and he didn’t finish the play.
You’re the ninth overall pick. That’s a ball you have to come down with.
I’m not asking you to turn every throw into a Randy Moss highlight. I’m asking you to finish an opportunity that could help put the other team away.
These drops are starting to make me nervous. I don’t want to be sitting here wondering whether Rome is getting in his own head.
And this goes beyond one receiver.
The Bears have to learn to end games earlier.
When you have a chance to bury somebody, bury them. Stop leaving the door open.
The Peanut Punch and the hit
Austin Booker deserves some serious credit for that Peanut Punch.
That’s a beautiful sight. Get to the football, knock it loose, give your offense another chance.
And then there was D’Marco Jackson’s hit on Jalen Hurts out of bounds.
Bro, he fucking lit him up. That had some ’85 shit to it.
You could feel it through the television. It set the tone. Jackson was playing like he had one speed all night: full fucking speed.
Three takeaways against an offense with that much talent? That’s a hell of a night.
T.J. Edwards was everywhere. To my eyes, that was one of his best games as a Bear. The linebackers were aggressive, involved, and fun to watch.
Dillon Thieneman can fucking play, too, bro. That boy keeps showing up around the football.
Malik Muhammad looked good again. Cam Lewis was sticking his nose into the mess.
And honestly, I was relieved we weren’t spending the night watching Tyrique Stevenson become the story for all the wrong reasons.
Barkley still broke off some big runs. Philadelphia still has dangerous players.
But the defense kept making the next play.
I’m celebrating. I’m still worried about the defensive line.
A 27–7 win doesn’t erase what I’m seeing up front.
Grady Jarrett looks like he’s on the wrong side of 30 and getting pushed around too often. I’m watching on a 65-inch screen and still wondering where the fuck he is.
Dayo Odeyingbo still looks like shit.
Too often, I’m watching the linebackers and secondary clean up problems that start at the line of scrimmage.
They did a hell of a job Monday. But how long can you keep asking them to carry that load?
It’s a long season. Those guys are going to wear down if the front can’t hold up consistently.
Enjoy this win. I absolutely am.
But keep taking notes, because next offseason this defensive line has to be addressed.
Real investment. Real talent. No more fucking excuses.
Sam Roush is making me nervous
Bro, I’m getting Velus Jones Jr. PTSD.
I know Roush contributed. I know he helped us move the chain. Once.
But the mistakes are sticking with me, and that touchback didn’t help.
Three games into the season, I’m already watching him with that familiar feeling in my stomach:
Please don’t fuck this up.
He’s a rookie. He has time to improve. I want him to settle down and play good football.
But we’ve watched this movie before, and I’d rather skip the sequel.
Coaching matters. Again.
I said it after the Black Friday game last year, and I’ll say it again:
Coaching fucking matters.
Ben Johnson put on a clinic Monday night.
The opening drive was on point. The adjustments made sense. When Philadelphia took something away, he had somewhere else to go.
That’s a coach helping his quarterback succeed.
Keenum deserves every bit of the credit he’s getting, too. He looked prepared, decisive, and completely comfortable running this offense. And had a night for the ages.
After nearly 40 years of watching Bears football, I can’t believe I’m saying this:
We might actually have three quarterbacks who can play.
What the fuck do we do with a good problem?
Now come the Jets
As much as I love TB17, Case just gave us a hell of a reason to keep him on the field while Caleb is out.
Monday’s performance earned him another opportunity.
We have a hot hand. Now we have to build on it.
And I wouldn’t look past the Jets.
People hear “Jets” and start penciling in a win. I look at that roster and see young talent from the past few drafts that can hurt you if you show up expecting an easy afternoon.
They’ve added some really good players on both sides of the ball—guys I loved coming out of those drafts. There are key pieces there.
You don’t have to believe they’re world-beaters to take them seriously.
Young, talented teams can smack you in the face while you’re still congratulating yourself for last Monday night.
Now the Bears have momentum. They have weapons. They have a coach who can build a plan around the quarterback playing that week.
If the defense can keep holding up and creating those extra possessions, this season could turn out a lot better than we expected.
But first, handle the Jets.
They’re on the tarmac.
Make sure we’re ready when they land.
Bear Down. And somebody tell Philly to come back with proper shoes.
