How a Technicality Gave Case Keenum a Win Twice in Six Days
Case Keenum went from not starting a regular-season game in 1,009 days to being credited with a win twice in six days, according to www.bleachernation.com. Football, huh?
The confusion is fair. Reports said Tyson Bagent would start in Week 4, and he did play all 89 offensive snaps against the New York Jets, according to www.bleachernation.com. Bagent also led in every major passing category on Sunday.
So what gives? Keenum gets the win because he took the game’s first snap, per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin via the Elias Sports Bureau.
That is the entire technicality. One snap, one credited victory.
Why would the Bears do that? Head Coach Ben Johnson read the press clippings and, for the second consecutive week, wanted to troll some folks, according to www.bleachernation.com.
THE COACH’S TROLL JOB
Johnson read the press clippings and decided to lean into the noise, according to www.bleachernation.com. This was the second straight week the Bears head coach put on his troll hat for the heck of it.
Last week, Johnson trolled doubters with his play calls in the 27-7 win against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football, then kept it going on the mic in his post-game press conference, per www.bleachernation.com. That set the tone. This week, he went back to the well.
Johnson explained the decision to start Keenum, and the comparison he offered was fitting for anyone with a baseball bone in their body: he treated it like a ceremonial first pitch, according to www.bleachernation.com. One snap, a nod to the occasion, and then the real game begins.
The exact quote from Johnson is not in the source, only the comparison itself. But the intent reads clearly enough: this was a coach having fun with a rulebook quirk, not a football decision born of strategy.
THE NUMBERS BEHIND THE QUIRK
Here is the math behind the oddity. Keenum, a 38-year-old backup quarterback, had not started a regular-season game in 1,009 days, according to www.bleachernation.com. Yet, because he took the game’s first snap, he got the credit.
The man who actually played the game, Tyson Bagent, took all 89 offensive snaps against the New York Jets, according to www.bleachernation.com. Bagent also led the way in all major passing categories on Sunday, per the same report.
The contrast is stark: 89 snaps and the leading stats for Bagent, one snap and the "W" for Keenum. It is a quirk of the rulebook that highlights how the box score and the stat sheet can tell two very different stories.
This marks the second consecutive week the Bears have pulled off a notable result. Last week, they beat the Philadelphia Eagles 27-7, according to www.bleachernation.com. That win set the tone for a coach willing to have some fun with the game’s conventions.
REACTION AND PERSPECTIVE
The author of the source report shares Ben Johnson’s sentiment, writing that Johnson doesn’t care about quarterback wins as a stat. At the end of the day, teams get credited with wins and losses in the standings, not individual players.
The author recalls his mother’s advice: “You win as a team, you lose as a team.”
Still, he admits his mother would get a kick out of wonky NFL rules giving a win to a 38-year-old backup quarterback on a technicality. Who doesn’t love a rulebook oddity?
It is hard not to feel good about Keenum getting credit for a win, the author writes. But in the grand scheme of things, it matters little which quarterback gets the win.
The contrast between the stat sheet and the standings is exactly the kind of quirk that makes the game fun. A one-snap appearance counts as a start, a full game’s work counts as a footnote.
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
Tyson Bagent will get his chance next week when the Bears travel to Lambeau Field to play the Green Bay Packers, according to www.bleachernation.com. The exact date and time of the game are not in the source.
Bagent would have loved to improve his record as a starter to 3-2, according to www.bleachernation.com. The win he was denied on the stat sheet would have been his third in five career starts, a meaningful milestone for a quarterback who has spent most of his career fighting for opportunities.
The author makes no secret of where he stands: Bagent deserved the win, according to www.bleachernation.com. He played all 89 offensive snaps against the Jets, led in every major passing category, and did the actual work while Keenum picked up the credit.
The technicality stings, but the schedule offers no time to dwell. Lambeau Field awaits, and Bagent will have a chance to earn a win that nobody can take away from him on a rulebook quirk. The Packers' defense will not care about ceremonial first pitches or stat-sheet footnotes. They will see a starter who has something to prove.
Advertisement
You may also like
Sam Mewis Hosts Kennedy Wesley on New Friendlies Episode
The new episode is part of the Friendlies series on www.meninblazers.com, the podcast hosted by Sam Mewis. The listing places it under both "Newest…
Becky Sauerbrunn joins Sam Mewis on Good Vibes FC Oct 6
Good Vibes FC will feature Becky Sauerbrunn as a guest on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 9 a.m. ET, according to www.meninblazers.com. The episode is…
Haitian earthquake survivor Kiki Ramos earns Argentina U-17 call-up
Kiki Ramos was sitting in an online maths class when his phone buzzed with the text message that changed his life. "My phone buzzed…
Messi buys Spanish second-division club Eldense: Why a tiny team?
On September 9, The Athletic reported that Inter Miami star Lionel Messi had agreed a deal in principle to buy Eldense, who play in…
From Barca trial to El Bulli: Ferran Adria on his Cruyff dream
Ferran Adria wanted to be Johan Cruyff. Before he became one of the world’s most celebrated chefs, football was his first passion, according to…
78-Year-Old Referee Has Officiated 5,000 Matches — and Won’t Stop
Ken Wright could have chosen a serene retirement. Instead, the 78-year-old undertakes the often thankless task of officiating football matches. On the pitch, whistle…