Tag: Cairo Santos

Who is Bears’ special teams MVP through the first 10 weeks?

While Cairo Santos was originally an emergency plan, he’s since become the plan at kicker with the Bears.

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While the Chicago Bears offense continues to sputter out of control, at least one good thing has come from this season — the Bears finally found their kicker.

While Cairo Santos was originally an emergency plan, he’s since become the plan at kicker with the Bears, as he’s had quite an impressive season filling in for an injured Eddy Pineiro.

Even if Pineiro was healthy — which he likely is after two and half months — there’s no turning back from Santos, who has connected on his last 15 field goals and has just two misses this season

Santos has connected on 17-of-19 field goals (89.47%) and made all 18 extra point attempts this season. His three-kick effort against the Carolina Panthers — which included a 55-yarder — also earned him NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors in Week 6.

‘‘I think it’s just a guy that’s found his rhythm,’’ special-teams coordinator Chris Tabor said.

Which is exactly what the Bears have been missing at the kicker position. Now, if only their offense could find the same rhythm.

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How has Bears K Cairo Santos fared after first 10 weeks?

Bears kicker Cairo Santos has established himself as the kicker of the future in Chicago.

What started as a back-up plan has turned into a plan of action for the Chicago Bears with kicker Cairo Santos, who has established himself as the kicker of the future in Chicago.

Here’s how Santos has fared in his first 10 games this season.

The good, the bad and the ugly from Bears’ Week 8 loss vs. Saints

The Bears have lost two straight games and half of their starting offensive line as they’ve fallen to 5-3 on the season.

The last couple of weeks haven’t gone well for the Chicago Bears. They’ve lost two straight games and half of their starting offensive line as they’ve fallen to 5-3 on the season. Their Week 8 loss to the New Orleans Saints was especially frustrating because the Bears could’ve and should’ve won the game, if not for continually shooting themselves in the foot.

Let’s take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly from the Bears’ Week 8 loss against the Saints.

5 takeaways from Bears’ 26-23 OT loss to Saints

There was a lot to unpack from the Bears’ second straight loss, from the start to the finish. Here are our takeaways from Sunday’s loss.

The Chicago Bears’ 26-23 overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints was a game filled with missed opportunities, egregious mistakes and yet another offensive performance that left much to be desired.

Despite leading 13-3 near the end of the first half, the Saints climbed back and scored 20 unanswered points to take a 23-13 lead. The Bears needed to find a way to stay in the game and while they eventually forced overtime, they couldn’t rely on yet another defensive stop.

The loss wasn’t surprising, considering Saints head coach Sean Payton has now won six-straight contests between the two teams. But it was the way they lost that stood out. The Bears blew a big lead and had the chance to go up by 14 points near the half. They then turtled in the third quarter, totaling just 13 yards and gave momentum back to the Saints. It was a dogfight just to tie the game thanks to some key fourth-down conversions.

There was a lot to unpack from this game, from the start to the finish. Here are my takeaways from Sunday’s loss.

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.

 

Kicker Kai Forbath is a ‘break-glass-in-case-of-emergency’ option for Bears

No, the Bears don’t have a kicker controversy on their hands. But there are certainly a ton of questions with this COVID season.

Kicker woes are nothing new for the Chicago Bears, who’ve had four different starting kickers since Robbie Gould’s departure in 2016.

While it appeared that Eddy Pineiro would be the starter for the second straight season, a groin injury has kept him sidelined on injured reserve, which opened the door for veteran Cairo Santos, who has started all five games this season.

The Bears also signed veteran kicker Kai Forbath to the practice squad last week. No, the Bears don’t have a kicker controversy on their hands. But there are certainly a ton of questions. Especially with the uncertainties this season that extend beyond injury to COVID-19.

Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor said that Forbath’s addition is more “in case of emergency” than competition at kicker.

“I mean obviously there’s a lot of COVID issues going around right now,” Tabor said. “At that position, if someone would wake up in the morning with COVID, we’ve been in a lot of tight games and you don’t have a guy that can go out and make a field goal. That’s concerning.

“Kai is a guy that’s obviously been in this league a long time. He’s really a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency, is what he is.”

Pineiro is “still part of our plans,” says Tabor, despite not being close to returning off injured reserve. Until then, it’s Santos and Forbath — two new kickers on the roster this season — in the never-ending carousel of Bears kickers.

 

Bears sign kicker Kai Forbath to the practice squad

The Bears announced that they’ve signed K Kai Forbath to the practice squad and placed LB Devante Bond on practice squad injured reserve.

One day after kicker Cairo Santos kicked a game-winning field goal, the Chicago Bears have brought another kicker into the fold. Which likely has more to do with Eddy Pineiro’s status than Santos.

The Bears have signed kicker Kai Forbath to their practice squad, the team announced Friday. Forbath’s addition comes after the Bears placed linebacker Devante Bond on practice squad injured reserve after he suffered a quad injury during Thursday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Forbath has spent time with the Washington Football Team, the New Orleans Saints, the Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots and Dallas Cowboys. During his eight-year career, Forbath has connected on 131-of-151 field goals for 86.8%.

Bringing in Forbath on the practice squad suggests that the Bears might not be too confident about Pineiro’s status in returning off injured reserve. He suffered a groin injury during training camp, and he was placed on IR ahead of Week 1. Pineiro was eligible to return off IR in Week 4, but head coach Matt Nagy said he wasn’t ready to do so just yet.

While Santos is a hero from Thursday’s game, he has been inconsistent this season. Entering Week 5, Santos had connected on 5-of-7 field goals. Both of his misses had been beyond 45 yards. On Thursday, Santos made both of his field goals, including a season-long 47-yarder and the 38-yard game-winner.

 

 

Bears kicker Eddy Pineiro eligible to return from IR this week

This week could spell the return of Bears kicker Eddy Pineiro, who was placed on injured reserve ahead of Week 1 with a groin injury.

The Chicago Bears are one of just six undefeated teams left this season, and they’ll be looking to continue their hot streak against an impressive Indianapolis Colts team in Week 4.

But this week could also spell the return of kicker Eddy Pineiro, who was placed on injured reserve ahead of the team’s Week 1 game against the Detroit Lions.

This season, players are eligible to return off injured reserve after three weeks. After those three weeks, the player will be eligible to return to practice. Teams would then have 21 days to add him back on the active roster.

That means Pineiro is eligible to return to practice this week after serving three weeks on IR with a groin injury.

While kicker hasn’t been absolute free fall for the Bears, there are some concerns following Cairo Santos second straight missed field goal in as many weeks. He missed on a 46-yarder on the Bears’ opening possession. And considering the Bears have won every game by four points this season, every point matters.

We’ll see if the Bears are comfortable with where Pineiro’s at following a groin injury he’s been nursing since training camp, a question that head coach Matt Nagy will likely field this week from reporters.

Bears sign K Cairo Santos to active roster, waive TE Eric Saubert

The Bears have promoted kicker Cairo Santos to the 53-man roster and waived tight end Eric Saubert heading into Week 2.

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The Chicago Bears have promoted kicker Cairo Santos to the active roster and waived tight end Eric Saubert, the team announced Wednesday.

Santos, who was activated from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions, has been filling in for injured kicker Eddy Pineiro, who’s been out with a groin injury.

In his Bears debut — the second time around, as he kicked briefly during the 2017 season — Santos connected on both of his field goal attempts, from 35 yards and 28 yards.

Pineiro was placed on injured reserve ahead of the Week 1 opener, which means he won’t be eligible to return until Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts.

But if Santos solidifies his position as Chicago’s kicker, the Bears might have a kicker controversy on their hands. Again.

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Bears promote K Cairo Santos to active roster ahead of Week 1 vs. Lions

As expected, the Bears have elevated kicker Cairo Santos to the active roster for their Week 1 game vs. the Lions.

The Chicago Bears have promoted kicker Cairo Santos to the active roster from the practice squad, the team announced Saturday.

The move isn’t a surprising one considering the Bears placed Eddy Pineiro on injured reserve this week as he continues to nurse a groin injury. Earlier this week, head coach Matt Nagy said it was “a safe bet” that Santos would be the team’s kicker heading into Week 1 against the Detroit Lions.

Under new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) rules this season, the Bears are allowed to elevate two practice squad players each week without having to waive an existing player on the 53-man roster.

Nagy has liked what he’s seen from Santos so far during practices, and he’s confident in what Santos can do in Pineiro’s absence.

“I just know from my history, playing outside in Arrowhead and other places for three years with Cairo, it was just one of those deals where you never were concerned that when he got up to kick a field goal or an extra point, you really weren’t concerned at all if he was going to make it or miss it,” Nagy said. “They’re all going to have some misses, but it wasn’t something where you were holding your breath. That’s just how I felt. Right now, he’s in here, in training camp and these last practices and, you know, knock on wood, but he’s making a lot of kicks right now, which I like.”

Santos impressed during his only real practice making kicks during the team’s scrimmage at Soldier Field in late August, where special teams coordinator Chris Tabor came away impressed.

“No and knock on wood he doesn’t miss a lot of kicks and I think that’s what we like,” Tabor said. “To his credit that was his first time that we’d been down there. It was a nicer day, we all understand that. But it is a tough place to kick and to be able to walk into Soldier and make all your kicks, that’s a good sign.”

The last time Santos kicked in a regular-season game, he missed four kicks for the Tennessee Titans, who released him the following day. Santos chalked it up to it just not being his day, and he’s moved on from it.

“I think it was just a freak day, something that not even in my worst nightmares I could think of that could happen,” Santos said. “I was, thought I was killing it out there in practice, pregame warm-ups, for the five weeks I was in Tennessee. It was a rainy warm-up, it was just kind of, things fell out of sync. I was, it just kind of happens. . . So I knew I had to move on and I did that and I stayed confident and here we are in Week 1 and I’m just ready to get going.”

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