There was a lot of uncertainty at the quarterback position for the Chicago Bears going into the Week 6 game against the Atlanta Falcons.
Not only did we not know who the Bears' starter would be if Caleb Williams was ruled out once again, but we also didn't know who would be QB2 between Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum.
That's because Bagent struggled mightily in the Week 5 loss to the Green Bay Packers, which resulted in him getting benched in the fourth quarter for Keenum, who didn't fare much better.
Well, we now have our answer for who the backup quarterback is for Week 6 after the Bears dropped their list of inactives.
Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent (17) looks to pass the ball against the Green Bay Packers during the second quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
As expected, Williams is active and ready to go. We all figured that would be the case after Williams practiced in full all week and after Saturday reports confirmed he would start in Week 6.
But the Bears' list of inactives also confirmed who the backup is just in case Williams gets hurt again.
It was revealed that Keenum is inactive and will be serving as the emergency third quarterback behind Williams and Bagent on Sunday.
The emergency third quarterback can only get into a game if both of the active quarterbacks get injured, so it's not like Chicago can just hand Keenum the ball if Williams leaves for any reason.
Chicago Bears quarterback Case Keenum (11) before the game against the New York Jets at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Head coach Ben Johnson has expressed a ton of faith in Bagent over the years, which made it likely he wouldn't just give up on Bagent and demote him after one bad game.
That said, the debacle against the Packers has seriously hurt the faith Bears fans have in Bagent and it's safe to say they'd rather see Keenum enter a game if a backup is needed.
After all, of the three games in which the Bears started a backup while Williams was out, it was Keenum who had the best performance.
In Week 3, Keenum guided the Bears to a win over the Philadelphia Eagles by completing 24-of-34 passes for 247 yards and two scores while adding a rushing score.
Bagent did lead the Bears to the Week 4 win, but he was dreadful in Week 5. Over two games, he turned the ball over three times while completing 37-of-55 passes (67.2%) for 355 yards and zero touchdowns.
We're not totally shocked by this decision, but we do believe that Keenum earned the right to be QB2 behind Williams.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/bears/onsi as Bears' Inactives Confirm Backup QB Decision Between Tyson Bagent, Case Keenum for Week 6 .
