Bears K Cairo Santos named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week

Cairo Santos was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his perfect performance against the Panthers.

There’s been plenty to love about the Chicago Bears’ 5-1 start this season. And one of the pleasant surprises has been at kicker, a position that’s snakebitten the Bears in years past.

Bears kicker Cairo Santos has been dubbed the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week following his impressive Week 6 performance against the Carolina Panthers — a 23-16 victory for Chicago.

Santos was perfect in field goals, connecting on all three from distances of 31, 55 and 31 yards, all of which helped the Bears maintain a lead throughout the game.

But it was his 55-yarder — a career long — that was his biggest kick of the day. He drilled it right down the middle with :02 left in the first half to extend Chicago’s lead 13-6 heading into halftime.

The Bears signed Santos back on Aug. 25, and he’s started for them in each of the first six games this season. He’s connected on 10-of-12 field goals (83.3 percent) this season, and he’s made his last seven field goals in a row.

With Eddy Pineiro on injured reserve with a groin injury, it’s hard to believe the Bears will shy away from Santos following his impressive performance, especially over these last couple of games.

You never like to see a player lose a job to injury. But Santos has more than earned the starting role at this point.