Bears kicker Cairo Santos played a big role in Monday night’s win over the Vikings.
Santos kicked four field goals, including a 30-yarder with 13 seconds left in the game, to provide Chicago with all of its points in a 12-10 divisional win. While Santos’ night ended well, it did not begin that way.
The Bears called on him to try a 48-yard kick at the end of their first possession and Santos pushed it wide. The Bears didn’t shy away from him and opted to try a 55-yarder early in the fourth quarter that Santos hit. After the game, he said he appreciated the confidence that the Bears showed in him.
“We just kind of kept doing what we do; we didn’t have to change anything,” Santos said, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “The miss is on me, I just couldn’t finish the kick, so I was disappointed for sure. It was eating me alive for a while but I knew I had to stick with it and just do what we do. Getting the opportunity to bounce back was awesome.”
Given the way their offense fared, the Bears didn’t have much choice other than to continue calling Santos’ number so all involved likely agree that it’s awesome the kicker was able to bounce back.
