NFL Monday Night Football preview: Bears, without QB Caleb Williams, try to beat undefeated Eagles

The memes over Caleb Williams' reaction to his hamstring injury were funny, but the injury was bad enough to keep the Chicago Bears quarterback out for at least one game.

Williams is developing into one of the NFL's best quarterbacks and now the Bears have to figure out a way to win without him. The Bears will start veteran Case Keenum , Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported Sunday , with normal backup Tyson Bagent available if needed. Bagent was cleared from concussion protocol but the Bears are reportedly more comfortable with Keenum after Bagent missed most of last week's practices.

Keenum has experience. He has 66 career starts. In 2017, the Vikings were 11-3 in his starts. Keenum is also 38 years old and hasn't taken a regular-season snap since 2023. He has started only four games this decade. It's a big test for Bears coach Ben Johnson, a sharp offensive coach who has to call an NFL game without a No. 1 overall pick at quarterback for the first time.

The Bears will be trying to move the ball against an Eagles defense that has been good again to begin this season, even if it hasn't been great yet. Philadelphia was 12th in points allowed and 10th in yards allowed after two weeks, though only 23rd in EPA ( expected points added ) per play. Last season Philadelphia was ninth in EPA per play. It's a talented defense that should be among the NFL's top 10 again, and could have a big day feasting on an offense down to its third option at quarterback.

The Eagles have started the season 2-0 but needed to stop a late two-point conversion to beat the Commanders in Week 1 and a last-minute drive to win at Tennessee last week. Philadelphia catches a break facing a Bears team without its starting quarterback. We'll see how the Bears offense adjusts without Williams.

It's not like the Eagles have their backs against the wall at 2-0. But this is a game they're expected to win, due to Caleb Williams ' injury. Losing to Case Keenum (or Tyson Bagent, if the Bears have a change of heart) would now become a bad loss for them. The Bears would be thrilled to get a win without their quarterback, but realistically it shouldn't be expected. The pressure goes onto the Eagles for this one.

Key players: Bears RBs D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai

When the Bears scored 59 points in the opener, Caleb Williams got a lot of the credit. And he did play well. But that ignored that Swift had 124 yards rushing and Monangai added 100. They combined for four touchdowns on the ground. The Bears offense didn't do much last week, and Swift lost a critical fumble near the goal line, but they need their running backs to bounce back in a big way this week. It's pretty simple when you're down to a 38-year-old journeyman at quarterback, taking his first regular-season snaps in three years: The Bears need a lot from Swift and Monangai. The Eagles haven't been great against the run yet this season, allowing 4.2 yards per carry (19th in the NFL) and the Bears need to exploit that to win on Monday night.

A ton of line movement in this game, as it was Chicago as a small favorite before Caleb Williams' injury and moved all the way out to Eagles -4.5, before it's come back to -3.5. Even though backup Tyson Bagent cleared concussion protocol, it will reportedly be Case Keenum starting for the Bears. Philadelphia hasn't been particularly impressive, but stands at 2-0, while the Bears can't afford to fall too far behind in a crowded NFC without Williams. The betting public is backing the Eagles, but I'm looking to back another prime-time under (41.5) here. I think Philadelphia's defense shows up and reminds us why Keenum is a third-string QB at this moment in his career.

Check out more of Ben's work at the Yahoo Sports betting hub .

Fantasy football storylines, by Scott Pianowski

Another whirlwind week of NFL action comes to a close Monday with the Eagles taking on the Bears. Here are three themes to track from a fantasy perspective:

1. Can Chicago fix its passing game with a backup quarterback?

Journeyman Case Keenum steps in for an emergency start, replacing Caleb Williams (out multiple weeks) and Tyson Bagent (probably out one week). Normally this type of news would be a kill shot for any passing game, especially one slumping like Chicago's, but you never want to discount a creative play caller like Ben Johnson. Luther Burden, Rome Odunze and Colston Loveland were difficult fantasy calls all week.

2. What version of Saquon Barkley will we see?

Barkley was solid if unspectacular in the season opener, then missed most the Week 2 with a stinger. He's no longer a major factor in the passing game, and this is the worst Philadelphia offensive line he's ever run behind. Still, when healthy, Barkley is a rare bell cow and an automatic fantasy start.

3. How will the Philadelphia passing game adjust without Dallas Goedart?

The veteran tight end has been a touchdown gobbler the last couple of years, but now he's out multiple weeks. DeVonta Smith had a breakout game in Week 2 and Dontayvion Wicks has legitimate sleeper value, especially with more targets now up for grabs.

Check out more of Scott's work at the Yahoo Sports fantasy hub .