Ben Johnson gives credit for the Bears' success to veteran backup QB

Cameron Belcher

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Ben Johnson gives credit for the Bears' success to veteran backup QB image

This season is the best for the Chicago Bears in quite some time, as they finished the regular season 11-6, winning the NFC North, and have the chance to reach the NFC championship game if they can defeat the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night.

Many people have stated the reasons they believe the Bears have had a franchise-altering season, such as the hiring of head coach Ben Johnson and the rise of second-year quarterback Caleb Williams. Both have, without a doubt, had a significant positive impact on the team.

However, Johnson gave an unlikely reason for the team's success this season: a player who has been in the league for a long time.

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Veteran backup quarterback Case Keenum received high praise from his head coach for the role he has played this season for Chicago, despite not taking any snaps with the team.

"He's been tremendous in terms of Caleb's growth. That was really the thought process of bringing him in, a guy with skins on the wall. He's played in big games himself at a high level. He's won big games. He's lost big games. His experience has really been something that all these young players can really lean into," Johnson said to the media on Friday.

Johnson makes a great point as Keenum has seen it all in his 13 seasons in the league and has been a servicable backup for most of his years, so even though it doesn't sound ideal, it shouldn't be as surprising that this young Bears team has leaned on the veteran.

Keenum's leadership will be needed for at least one game against one of his former teams, the Rams, which is set to be the team's most formidable opponent yet.

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Contributing Writer