Bears Lead Eagles 7-0 After First Quarter as Keenum Starts on Monday Night

Philadelphia visits Chicago for a Week 3 Monday Night Football game, with Case Keenum starting at quarterback for the Bears after last playing in the 2023 season.

The Philadelphia Eagles play away from home in Week 3, traveling to face the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football in the NFL's prime-time window. The matchup gives both teams a national audience early in the season, and it comes with several notable storylines, headlined by an unexpected starting quarterback for the Bears. Philadelphia arrived with clear areas to address after two games in which the defense lacked consistency and the rushing offense lagged.

Chicago delivered the game's first statement. Quarterback Case Keenum directed an 11-play opening drive that ended in a touchdown, putting the Bears in front 7-0. That margin was still standing when the first quarter ended, leaving Philadelphia with an early deficit to erase on the road.

Keenum's start is the most unusual part of the night for Chicago. He entered the week third on the Bears' quarterback depth chart, learned of the starting assignment with just one week to prepare, and had not appeared in a regular-season game since December 2023. The lengthy layoff adds uncertainty to a Bears offense now placed in his hands, and it raises the importance of Chicago's rushing attack as the quarterback works his way back into game action.

Philadelphia's defense has its own concerns entering the matchup. The Eagles struggled to defend the run in 2025, an issue that has carried into the current season, and the unit has not performed with the necessary soundness through the first two games. How well Philadelphia contains Chicago's ground attack stands as a central question of the night.

Up front on offense, the Eagles remain a work in progress. Cam Jurgens and Drew Kendall are each settling into changed positions this season, and the Week 3 game gave the pair another set of live repetitions as they look to keep developing in their adjusted spots.

The game also falls in the early stretch of offensive coordinator Sean Mannion's first season running the Philadelphia offense. Mannion has introduced new elements to the attack, though the running game remains the piece still seeking improvement, with the ground attack needing a stronger contribution for the offense to operate at full effectiveness.

Saquon Barkley is playing despite a stinger suffered in last Sunday's game. The injury came in Philadelphia's previous contest, one week before the trip to Chicago. One of the objectives for Barkley and the offensive line is cutting out the negative plays that have held the ground game back.

Through one quarter, the game has unfolded in Chicago's favor: a long opening march, a touchdown, and a 7-0 lead to protect. The Eagles must now respond on the road, with the defense needing to hold up against the run and the offense still searching for the balance it has yet to find this season.