Ben Johnson shifts focus to a looming quarterback crisis as the Bears prepare to host Philadelphia's high-powered roster following injuries to Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent.
The Chicago Bears have an exciting game up next with the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football.
In last year's meeting, the Bears came into Lincoln Financial Field and made a statement. The Bears beat the Eagles 24-15 on the road. Head coach Ben Johnson gifted the entire city of Chicago free hot dogs after the game.
Chicago prioritized running the football in that game, and it paid off. Kyle Monangai and D'Andre Swift both finished with over 100 yards on the ground.
Things are going to be different this time around.
For one, the game is going to be at Soldier Field but that's not the big story here.
The Bears are having quarterback issues heading into the game. Caleb Williams is dealing with a hamstring injury from Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Williams left in the fourth quarter, holding his leg. Luckily, it sounds like he dodged a serious injury.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said on "The Pat McAfee Show" that Williams is likely to miss 2-4 weeks due to the injury.
Then, news came out about the Bears' backup quarterback Tyson Bagent. Bagent relieved Williams when he exited with the injury, throwing for 54 passing yards in the 9-3 loss.
It looks like Bagent is entering the NFL's concussion protocol, and his status for the game is now uncertain. Rapoport reported this on ESPN's "Big Day."
If Bagent isn't able to clear concussion protocol, this means that Case Keenum is likely to be the starting quarterback.
Johnson made an appearance on ESPN 1000 Chicago and is ready to get the bad taste from Sunday's loss out of his team's mouth.
"Yeah, it's a good football team," Johnson said. "Coach Sirianni always has those guys ready to go. It seems like year in and year out they're Super Bowl contenders. I know we'll be excited to get this taste out of our mouths. Monday Night Football. Soldier Field again. Really good opponent. I mean, there's a lot of things that are playing up into this game. Looking forward to getting into the tape. I haven't seen their offense yet in these first two games. That'll be looked at over these next two days. You know, we'll figure it out from there. We'll put a nice, strong plan together and have these guys playing fast and sound football."
The Eagles are 2-0 entering the game after close wins in their first two games.
In Week 1, the Eagles narrowly escaped with a win over the Washington Commanders after stopping a game-tying two-point conversion attempt late in the game, 24-22.
Then, last week, they needed a go-ahead touchdown with nine seconds left to beat the Tennessee Titans 24-20 on the road.
With all the quarterback injuries surrounding the Bears, they are going to be behind the eight ball. The good news is that whoever is starting for the Bears, whether it's Williams, Bagent, or Keenum, has been in Johnson's offense for a year.
Having the game at Soldier Field is a major plus for the Bears. This team is going to have its work cut out for it to avoid falling to 1-2 in the season.
Kickoff from Soldier Field is set for Monday at 7:15 p.m. CT on ESPN and ABC.
