A kicker who could not shake one bad moment ended up delivering the biggest kick of the night.
Cairo Santos made a field goal from 58 yards, the longest of his career, to seal the Chicago Bears’ 30 to 24 win over the New England Patriots on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026.
Why was Cairo Santos frustrated after the win?
One drive earlier, Santos hit the right upright on an attempt from 53 yards. The miss cost the Bears a chance at a lead of two scores at the end of a drive of 13 plays that took nearly seven minutes.
Santos said the misses annoy him. He admitted he was having a hard time celebrating, saying he has been striking the ball too well to keep missing, even on kicks from beyond 50 yards. He said he has been kicking well during the week and in pregame warmups, which made leaving one play on the field each game so frustrating.
Before Thursday, Cairo Santos had missed a field goal in each of his previous two games, a try from 56 yards at Atlanta and one from 43 yards at Green Bay. Both sailed left.
How did Cairo Santos get a second chance?
On the next drive, Chicago stalled when quarterback Caleb Williams took a sack for a loss of 10 yards on third down at the New England 30.
The Bears head coach first planned to punt. During an injury timeout for Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore, who was hurt on the sack, Santos told the special teams coordinator he felt good about the distance. When the coach asked whether Santos wanted the kick, Santos said yes.
The coach said the team felt good about the field position and that Santos told him he needed redemption for the earlier miss.
The kick by Cairo Santos pushed Chicago’s lead to nine points. A miss would have given New England just under two minutes to score a touchdown while trailing by six.
How rare was the kick?
Only two field goals in Soldier Field history have gone farther. The kick also topped Santos’ previous career best of 55 yards. Teammates mobbed him after the ball cleared the uprights in the south end zone. Santos opened the scoring with a field goal on the game’s first drive.
Cairo Santos, 34, made three of four field goals on the night, including kicks from 43 and 31 yards, plus all three extra points. He has made 11 of 15 field goals this season, including three of five from beyond 50 yards.
What did others say about Cairo Santos?
The Patriots head coach, who coached Santos with the Tennessee Titans in 2019, joked about his former kicker’s misses but said he was proud of him, even if he did not want him to make it Thursday.
Williams praised Santos’ consistency, saying the kicker knows his teammates and quarterback believe in him. He said consistency is the hardest thing to achieve and that Santos has been doing it for years.
What else happened in the Bears win?
The victory was Chicago’s fifth of the season. It came in the Bears’ first home game since the death of Mike Ditka, the Hall of Fame coach who led the franchise to its only Super Bowl title. Ditka died Oct. 9 at 86, and the team honored him during the game.
Tight end Cole Kmet injured his knee and was carted off late in the game. The extent of the injury was not immediately known.
For Cairo Santos, the night ended with a career milestone, even if the one that got away still lingered.
