No one had more fun Monday night than Case Keenum.

Before the 38-year-old NFL journeyman even took a snap against the Eagles, Keenum knew the perfect fall evening in Chicago — complete with a lively crowd for a primetime matchup, dozens of his lifelong supporters watching on and his wife, Kimberly, son, Kyler, and daughter, Cadence, sharing an emotional moment with him before the game — would be etched into his mind forever.

It would be the Texas native's first NFL start since the 2023 season with the Texans. 1,009 days, to be exact. And sure, the 14-year veteran had still hoped to lead an NFL team once more, but he knew the odds weren't necessarily in his favor.

"That's the kid in you dreaming about it," Keenum said. "You feel like you can. I don't know if you think about the week that it takes, the work that it takes in the offseason to clean up your diet. You work extremely hard to get your body back to where it needs to be. You go through a training camp as the three and grind out some reps. You're getting a few reps a day to get a shot again to do it like this — I mean, yeah, you dream about it.

"That's why I'm still here, still doing this, why I'm still getting up. And I've been knocked down my whole career. I just keep getting up, keep coming to work and keep bouncing back."

What ensued at Soldier Field was even more fun than Keenum could have imagined. From leading an 11-play, 66-yard touchdown drive on the game's opening possession to capping the Bears' 27-7 win in the fourth quarter by diving into the end zone on a QB sneak, Keenum experienced no shortage of memorable moments during his 81st career game.

His success encapsulated the sentiment he relayed to his kids before the game.

"Keenums can do hard things."

"When you're playing well any time in your career, it feels good," Keenum said. "To do it on Monday Night Football after you thought you weren't ever going to play again multiple times, golly, this is special. It's really special. I don't know if I'll be able to put it into words tonight, but I'm going to enjoy tonight, that's for sure."

Keenum impressed throughout the Bears' dominant victory, finishing with 24 completions on 34 attempts, 247 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, a rushing TD and a 110.8 rating. The win marked Keenum's best performance since his debut with Washington Sept. 8, 2019, when he recorded 380 yards, three TDs and a 117.6 rating, coincidentally also against Philadelphia.

When Keenum signed with the Bears in March of 2025, after spending the 2024 season on injured reserve in Houston and not knowing if he'd play in the NFL again, it was clear that part of his role in Chicago would be to help mentor young quarterbacks Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent. Even so, general manager Ryan Poles and coach Ben Johnson believed the veteran could also still play at a high level if needed.

Watching that belief come to fruition Monday night, as the Bears rebounded from their rainy Week 2 loss to the Vikings, was rewarding for Johnson and everyone else involved in bringing Keenum to Chicago.

"I think it's all about Case Keenum and what he was able to do here tonight," Johnson said. "I thought he did an extraordinary job. When the running game's not going, as a play caller, being able to lean into the passing game, knowing that our guys are trying to protect for him, he's going to get the ball out and go to the right guy in time, take care of the football, good decisions.

"He just played really efficient football, and I couldn't be prouder of him for that."

With Williams sidelined due to the hamstring injury he sustained last Sunday and Bagent in concussion protocol to start the week, Keenum was the only QB on the active roster to practice Wednesday and Friday. While Bagent ended up being active Monday as a backup, Keenum's full week of preparation gave Johnson and the locker room confidence he was ready to step up.

"Obviously, his leadership, his ability to bring other guys along," guard Jonah Jackson said, I mean, he's just able to dot things up. It's second nature at this point. It's special."

"He's just such a stone-cold killer, a vet," tight end Colston Loveland said. "He does everything the right way. You can tell he's done this for a long time."

There was no shortage of moments in which Keenum displayed those traits Monday night. While the Bears opened the game with a drive that culminated in Keenum completing a shovel pass to receiver Luther Burden III for a touchdown, the veteran QB was able to maintain momentum through the ebbs and flows of the game.

After a pair of scoreless drives, Keenum delivered back-to-back 20+-yard passes to Burden and Rome Odunze while under pressure to jumpstart a second-quarter possession that resulted in a field goal. Keenum completed 5 of 7 passes for 75 yards on the drive, which also included a 15-yard completion to Odunze and a 13-yard pass to Raymond. In the third quarter, Keenum led both a field goal drive and a second TD drive, which was capped off when he connected with receiver Kalif Raymond for a 41-yard score that put the Bears up 20-7.

While Keenum was certainly the star of the show, he gave credit to the Bears' offensive line for holding the Eagles' pass rush at bay, the pass catchers for getting open and, of course, Johnson, for not just verbalizing trust in him, but showing it with action.

"He's one of the best," Keenum said. "I mean, he's the best play caller, play designer, game planner I've been around. It was fun to do it at this stage of my career where I see the game a lot like him. And that really helps to execute it how he sees it. Means a lot."

While Keenum displayed what both Jackson and Loveland described as his "gunslinger" abilities, his most electric play covered just one yard — an old-school QB sneak touchdown that iced the win.

"That was awesome," Odunze said. "That was the cherry on top right there. Great day, and to finish it off that way, he deserves it."

One of the last players to leave the, Keenum relished every last bit of the surreal night on the lakefront. A Texas boy through and through, bringing joy to the Chicago crowd was every bit as rewarding as the win itself.

"We're very proud to be Texans, but man, we love Chicago," Keenum said. "It's a great city. Chicago, Soldier Field at night is awesome, and to be able to connect with them, represent them, step in when my name is called, It's very special."

Once he finally returned to the locker room, he was rewarded with a game ball from Johnson, and expressed his gratitude for everyone in the room.

"Man, I love you guys," Keenum said in his locker room speech. "This is a special night. This means a bunch to me. This was taken from me a lot of times. And to have [Johnson] call me, and bring me back, the love of the game again, to have my family, my kids get to watch me, and to get to do it with this family right here, we've got something special here, man."

With the Bears' quarterback situation being undecided for next Sunday's game against the Jets, Keenum knows he'll need to turn the page quickly and begin preparing. He plans to watch the game tape Tuesday at home with his kids, even if they want to watch Bluey instead, and make the necessary corrections.

If the Bears need Keenum to start for a second straight week, he'll be ready. He certainly proved that the NCAA's all-time leader in passing yards, touchdowns, and completions, who orchestrated the "Minneapolis Miracle" is still capable of playing at the highest level.

In his Keenum-esque way, he conveyed that message to the locker room after the Bears' primetime victory, saying: "I may not be a cowboy, but this ain't my first rodeo."