Chairshot NFL News Report (9/29/2026): Keenum Stuns Philly, Giants Trade for McCarthy & Achane Done For The Season

Case Keenum stuns Philadelphia, the Giants trade for J.J. McCarthy and Miami loses De’Von Achane for the rest of the season.

Case Keenum entered Monday night as Chicago’s third quarterback. He left Soldier Field having handed Philadelphia its first loss of the season.

The Bears dominated the Eagles 27-7 behind Keenum, a defense that forced three turnovers and one of Chicago’s most complete performances in some time. Monday also produced major developments away from the field, with the Giants acquiring J.J. McCarthy, De’Von Achane and Brian Burns suffering torn ACLs and Tampa Bay learning Baker Mayfield will miss multiple weeks.

It’s the Chairshot NFL News Report for September 29, 2026!

Case Keenum Leads Bears to Stunning Monday Night Win

Chicago Bears 27, Philadelphia Eagles 7

Chicago turned what looked like a desperate quarterback situation into the most surprising result of Week 3. Case Keenum completed 24 of 34 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns, then added a one-yard rushing score as the Bears controlled Philadelphia from start to finish.

Keenum was making his first NFL appearance since 2023 after Caleb Williams was ruled out with a hamstring injury and Tyson Bagent remained unavailable. Instead of simply surviving, Chicago built an offense around short, efficient throws and gave Keenum favorable situations throughout the night.

Luther Burden III caught seven passes for 61 yards and a touchdown, while Kalif Raymond added six receptions for 90 yards and another score. D’Andre Swift ran for 84 yards as Chicago held the ball for nearly 37 minutes and finished with 375 total yards.

The defense did just as much damage. Philadelphia turned the ball over three times, committed 10 penalties and produced only 248 total yards. Jalen Hurts completed 16 of 25 passes for 153 yards with an interception, while his one-yard rushing touchdown accounted for Philadelphia’s only points.

The result moves both teams to 2-1, but their paths there now look very different. Philadelphia entered Monday unbeaten and leaves with significant offensive questions, while Chicago just discovered it can win decisively even without either of its top two quarterbacks.

Giants Trade for J.J. McCarthy

The Giants made the biggest move of Monday by acquiring J.J. McCarthy from Minnesota in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round draft pick. The trade comes less than a week after New York learned Jaxson Dart will miss the remainder of the season because of his knee injury.

McCarthy gives the Giants another young quarterback to evaluate rather than simply turning the rest of the season over to Jameis Winston. The former first-round pick had fallen out of Minnesota’s long-term plans, and the Vikings were willing to move him for relatively modest draft compensation.

That makes the deal interesting for both organizations. New York gets a former top prospect without sacrificing premium draft capital, while Minnesota officially closes a chapter that never developed the way originally envisioned.

The Giants are 2-1 after beating Tennessee on Sunday, so this is not merely a move for some distant rebuild. McCarthy now enters a team that remains very much alive in the early NFC race while simultaneously trying to figure out what its quarterback room should look like beyond 2026.

De’Von Achane Lost for the Season

Miami’s 0-3 start became considerably worse Monday when testing confirmed that De’Von Achane suffered a torn ACL during Sunday’s loss to Kansas City. The injury will end his 2026 season.

Achane had become the centerpiece of Miami’s backfield and was coming off the best season of his career, producing 1,838 yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns in 2025. He also signed a four-year, $64 million extension during the offseason.

Ollie Gordon II handled the majority of the work after Achane left Sunday, finishing with 55 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown on 20 touches. Jaylen Wright was inactive because of stinger and foot injuries, leaving Miami’s immediate running-back rotation unsettled.

The larger issue is what the Dolphins are losing. Achane’s speed creates opportunities that are difficult to replace schematically, and Miami was already struggling to generate consistent offense before losing one of its most dangerous players.

At 0-3, the Dolphins were already facing pressure entering Week 4. Losing Achane turns a difficult September into a much larger offensive problem.

Brian Burns Also Suffers Torn ACL

The Giants received one major addition Monday and one devastating injury confirmation. Brian Burns suffered a torn ACL during Sunday’s 12-7 victory over Tennessee and is expected to miss the remainder of the season.

Burns had been one of the anchors of New York’s defense and one of the most disruptive players on a unit that helped the Giants improve to 2-1. His loss comes almost immediately after the organization lost Dart for the year on the other side of the ball.

That creates a strange contrast around the Giants right now. The record says they have started well, the McCarthy trade gives them another potentially interesting quarterback option, and yet two major pieces of the roster have already suffered season-ending injuries.

Replacing Burns will be particularly difficult because edge pressure is not something teams can manufacture simply by rotating another body into the lineup. New York will need production from multiple players to replace what Burns provided individually.

Baker Mayfield Expected to Miss at Least Three Weeks

Tampa Bay received relatively good news from Baker Mayfield’s MRI, but not good enough to keep him on the field. Mayfield suffered no fracture or additional ligament damage when he dislocated the thumb on his throwing hand Sunday, but he is still expected to miss at least three weeks.

Rookie Jalon Daniels is expected to start while Mayfield recovers. Tampa Bay is already 0-3, making this a difficult point in the season to turn the offense over to a rookie quarterback.

The absence could stretch across games against Pittsburgh, Green Bay and Atlanta depending on Mayfield’s recovery. Even a three-week timetable would leave Tampa Bay needing Daniels to prevent an already difficult season from slipping further away.

The MRI at least removes the possibility of a much longer absence. For a team sitting at 0-3, however, three weeks is already a substantial amount of time.

Justin Jefferson Avoids Serious Ankle Injury

Minnesota received much better news regarding Justin Jefferson. Imaging showed an ankle sprain without major structural damage, and head coach Kevin O’Connell indicated that Jefferson avoided a long-term injury.

Jefferson still has to work through the week before Minnesota determines whether he can play Sunday against Miami. The Vikings are 3-0, which gives them some flexibility if resting him for one game significantly lowers the chance of aggravating the injury.

Minnesota’s other injury news was less encouraging. Tight end Josh Oliver is feared to have suffered a torn biceps during Sunday’s victory over Tampa Bay and could miss significant time if additional testing confirms the initial diagnosis.

Jefferson avoiding a major injury is still the bigger development. Minnesota has opened the season unbeaten, and keeping its best offensive player out of a prolonged absence makes that start considerably easier to sustain.

Breece Hall Week-to-Week After MRI

The Jets also received better news than initially feared on Breece Hall. An MRI revealed a quadriceps injury that is expected to leave Hall week-to-week rather than facing a major long-term absence.

Hall suffered the injury during the fourth quarter of New York’s 31-24 loss to Detroit. Braelon Allen replaced him and would be positioned for a larger role if Hall cannot play against Chicago in Week 4.

The Jets are 1-2 and have already dealt with significant attrition throughout the offense. Losing Hall for any amount of time creates another obstacle, but Monday’s diagnosis avoided the kind of season-changing injury that initially seemed possible when he left the field.

That puts Hall in a similar category to Jefferson. Both remain legitimate Week 4 questions, but both teams came out of Monday knowing the situation could have been much worse.

Austin Ekeler Returning to Washington

Washington is bringing back Austin Ekeler, with the veteran running back expected to sign with the Commanders pending a physical. Ekeler spent the previous two seasons in Washington before a torn Achilles limited him to two games in 2025.

The 31-year-old joins a backfield that has struggled to establish consistency. Jacory Croskey-Merritt leads Washington with 142 rushing yards on 47 carries, while Rachaad White has added 100 yards on 22 attempts.

Ekeler does not need to return as a traditional every-down back to help. His value as a receiver and third-down option could give Washington another way to support Marcus Mariota while Jayden Daniels continues recovering from his dislocated elbow.

The move also comes after Washington earned its first victory of the season Sunday against Seattle. Rather than waiting for the offense to stabilize on its own, the Commanders are adding another experienced option before Week 4.

Final Week 3 Scoreboard

• Atlanta Falcons 35, Green Bay Packers 14
• Kansas City Chiefs 24, Miami Dolphins 10
• Cleveland Browns 21, Carolina Panthers 18
• New York Giants 12, Tennessee Titans 7
• Jacksonville Jaguars 35, New England Patriots 6
• Buffalo Bills 24, Los Angeles Chargers 16
• Detroit Lions 31, New York Jets 24
• Indianapolis Colts 19, Houston Texans 17
• Washington Commanders 33, Seattle Seahawks 31
• Pittsburgh Steelers 30, Cincinnati Bengals 27
• San Francisco 49ers 36, Arizona Cardinals 30
• Minnesota Vikings 23, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 16
• Las Vegas Raiders 35, New Orleans Saints 27
• Baltimore Ravens 34, Dallas Cowboys 31
• Denver Broncos 30, Los Angeles Rams 26
• Chicago Bears 27, Philadelphia Eagles 7

Week 3 ended with one of its biggest surprises, but Monday’s news may matter even more once the season moves forward.

Chicago suddenly has evidence that its roster can win even when the quarterback depth chart is stretched to its limit. New York responded aggressively to losing Dart by acquiring McCarthy, only to learn on the same day that Burns is now gone for the season.

Miami is dealing with an even harsher reality. At 0-3, losing Achane removes one of the few players capable of changing a game with a single touch. Tampa Bay is staring at several weeks without Mayfield, while Minnesota and the Jets at least received encouraging news on Jefferson and Hall.

Three weeks are complete, and September has already become less about the rosters teams planned to have and more about how quickly they can adapt to the ones they actually have.

This report includes information from: NFL.com, Reuters.com, ESPN.com, Giants.com, Vikings.com, ChicagoBears.com, PhiladelphiaEagles.com, Commanders-related reporting and official NFL game and injury reports.