Updated

Updated · Yahoo Sports · Sep 29

Ben Johnson Jabs Jared Goff After Bears' 27-Point Win With 38-Year-Old Case Keenum

Updated

Updated · Yahoo Sports · Sep 29

Ben Johnson Jabs Jared Goff After Bears' 27-Point Win With 38-Year-Old Case Keenum

Q: Did Ben Johnson’s postgame jab about mobility say more about Case Keenum’s fit or his old history with Jared Goff?

It said more about Johnson’s Jared Goff history than about any long-term revelation on Case Keenum. The football point was real: Chicago clearly adjusted well for a less mobile quarterback. Keenum fit because he processed quickly, got the ball out fast, avoided sacks and interceptions, and ran an offense built on timing, short throws, motion and balance. That looked a lot like the structure Johnson used successfully in Detroit. Keenum’s 24-of-34, 247-yard, two-touchdown night reinforced that Johnson can scale his system to a veteran pocket passer. But the line that grabbed attention was the framing. When Johnson said he had “a little history” calling plays for someone “not very mobile,” and then added that Keenum was “not a former No. 1 pick,” he was doing more than praising Keenum’s fit. That was an unmistakable callback to Goff, the quarterback Johnson helped elevate in Detroit. Given Johnson and Goff are still known to have a close relationship, it reads more like a familiar, pointed joke than a serious critique of Keenum or an effort to redefine Chicago’s offense around him. The game itself supports that interpretation. Johnson praised Keenum’s efficiency and command, but the broader takeaway was adaptability: the Bears changed tempo and design after Caleb Williams’ injury and still functioned at a high level. Keenum proved he can keep the offense on schedule. Johnson’s wording, though, made the moment about his Detroit past as much as Chicago’s backup plan.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Sep 29

Ben Johnson used Chicago's Monday night upset of Philadelphia to take a swipe at Jared Goff, saying he had coached "someone not so mobile" before while praising Case Keenum's fill-in performance.
Case Keenum, 38, replaced injured starter Caleb Williams and delivered 2 touchdown passes, a rushing score and a 110.8 QBR, finishing with nearly 250 yards and no sacks or interceptions.
The 27-point Bears victory was Chicago's second of the season and came a week after Williams went down with a hamstring injury, a setback that had lowered expectations for the offense.
Johnson's remark revives tension with Lions fans, whose view of the former Detroit assistant had already soured after he interviewed for the Bears job during the postseason.