The Chicago Bears survived another nail-biter, sneaking past the Minnesota Vikings on the road to a 19-17 victory. It wasn't looking great for Chicago late in the game, as the Vikings took the lead late.
Past Bears teams surely would have crumbled in this situation, but Ben Johnson's Bears teams aren't following suit there. That being said, fans certainly weren't feeling all that confident when kicker Cairo Santos was called in to attempt the 48-yard field goal that would determine the outcome of the game.
Santos had already missed a field goal earlier in the game and now has four missed kicks this year in total. The good news is that he didn't miss the one that mattered the most, and the Bears walked out of U.S. Bank Stadium the victors with the momentum continuing to stick with them.
Following the two-point win, Ben Johnson was asked about Santos and gave an answer that, while Bears fans might not agree with, it's hard to debate too much given Santos's clutch performance.
"That's who [Santos] is. I've got a lot of confidence in him. He doesn't let one miss phase him. He embodies who we are as a team."
Ben Johnson couldn't help but praise Cairo Santos following game-winning field goal
This is the exact response you'd expect from a head coach talking about their kicker following a field goal like that. Maybe Santos isn't perfect in that department, but, as Johnson said, he has confidence in him to execute when called upon and said that Santos isn't phased when he does screw up.
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Sometimes it's easy for kickers to continue having the yips after missing one field goal and keep on missing. Santos made four of five field goal attempts on Sunday, and while he makes Bears fans nervous every time he takes the field, he came through when the team needed him the most. That's what's most important here.