Cairo Santos, the NFL's first-ever Brazilian-born player, is no stranger to game-winning drives. The pressure and intensity of those situations are exactly where a good place kicker shines, reminding fans why NFL teams need reliable players for that role.
Week 11 brought several panic-inducing moments, including Santos kicking three field goals and missing a 45-yard field goal attempt early in the fourth quarter. The miss would have given the Bears the lead at a moment when the Vikings were building momentum.
Hitting this field goal would have taken significant wind from Minnesota's sails, at a time when the Bears could have really used it. Instead, Devin Duvernay and the Bears' special teams came through with a 56-yard return to set Santos up for a 48-yard field goal for the win.
"You prepare for these things, you know, so in my head I'm already playing a game-winning field goal. I mean, I was already kinda rehearsing that kick in my head on the sidelines."Cairo Santos
Dependable, But Not Perfect
Santos is frequently questioned by critics and analysts about his leg strength and long-range reliability, particularly on field goal attempts of 50+ yards. Many analysts cite Santos' low trajectory as a key vulnerability that could lead to being blocked. Santos is 32-49 (65.3%) on kicks over 50 yards, a respectable stat that paints Santos as a more reliable kicker than a powerful one.
Santos has been with the Bears since 2020, where he's rebuilt his career. Robbie Gould, the Bears' long-term placekicker (2005-2015), left behind an outstanding legacy that any placekicker in Chicago will be held to. Though Gould was with the team for longer, Santos has already overtaken Gould's accuracy record, posting an impressive 88.2%. If Santos stays with the Bears another five years, he's on pace to exceed Gould as the top kicker in Bears history.
The Right Leg at the Right Time
Though Santos kept us on the edge of our seats by missing a 45-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter, Chicago has held firm with our belief in Santos. Santos came through for his team, exactly when he needed to, and in the insanity that is the NFL, that's what truly counts. In the NFL, you must have a short memory, and even in the face of a previously missed kick, the Bears gave Santos what he needed to redeem himself on the day.
The 2025 Bears have built a reputation for winning from behind in the fourth quarter, and Santos is very much a part of that identity. Reliability is key in close games, and Santos has proven himself extremely reliable.
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Santos isn't a perfect kicker, and we shouldn't expect him to be. But in the long run, his skill set and ability to come through in clutch moments make him a part of this Bears squad. His abilities will be needed down the road as the first-place Bears make a push for the postseason.