Bears' Santos redeems 'annoying' miss with game-sealing FG vs. Pats
Cairo Santos drilled a career-long 58-yard field goal to seal the Chicago Bears' 30-24 win over the New England Patriots on Thursday night.
Chicago Bears kicker Cairo Santos turned frustration into triumph on Thursday night, drilling a career-long 58-yard field goal in the closing moments of a 30-24 win over the New England Patriots.
The 58-yarder — the third-longest field goal in Soldier Field history — came one drive after Santos had a 53-yard attempt clang off the right upright on the Bears' first possession of the fourth quarter, a miss that would have stretched Chicago's lead at the end of a 13-play drive.
"The misses annoy me," Santos said after the game. The 34-year-old admitted he found it hard to celebrate the game-sealer because he kept thinking about the kick that got away.
"I just feel like I'm hitting the ball way too good to have these misses happen," he added.
Santos finished 3-for-4 on field goals and converted all three extra-point tries. Coach Ben Johnson never wavered in his kicker: after Caleb Williams took a 10-yard sack on third down at the Patriots' 30-yard line, Johnson initially planned to punt before sending Santos out instead.
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, who coached Santos in Tennessee in 2019, said he was not surprised his former kicker bounced back.
The 58-yarder topped Santos' previous career long of 55 yards and erased the sting of another miss — he entered Week 7 having missed field goals in back-to-back games.
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