Bears coach shared what went wrong with Cairo Santos' crucial missed field goal

Nothing can make the pain of Monday night go away for Chicago Bears fans after watching their team blow a 17-6 fourth quarter lead to lose to the Minnesota Vikings 27-24.

One of the moments that stands out as to what went wrong for the Bears was right at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Bears kicker Cairo Santos was setting up for the 50-yard field goal that would have given the Bears a two-touchdown lead. Santos ends up hooking it, and the spark for the Vikings' comeback began.

Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower spoke with the media when he was asked about that kick. Hightower wouldn't pin the whole blame on his kicker, as it was a group effort.

"We never want to leave points on the board. My diagnosis is it always starts with the operation. Snap, hold and kick. That wasn't clean. Protection was good. That wasn't clean and we didn't get it done and we need to get that done."

Is there starting to be cause for concern with Santos kicking the ball for the Bears?

Santos has had a relatively successful run since joining the Bears in 2020. In three of the last five years, he has converted over 90% of his field goals during the regular season.

The problem is that his production has gone down as he went from 92% in 2023 to 84% in 2024. That 8% dip is pretty concerning, and it doesn't help that he went one of two on Monday.

Punter Troy Taylor is the holder, and Scott Daly is the long snapper on field goals. They might have more eyes on them now that fans have become aware that the whole operation was not perfect.

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The pressure will be intensified on special teams on Sunday as Santos, Taylor, and Daly will have to step up against the Detroit Lions in an all-important division game.