Patriots’ Comeback Was Derailed By One Remarkable 58-Yard Kick originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
For a brief moment late Thursday night, the New England Patriots appeared to have caught exactly the break they needed. Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams took a 10-yard sack on third down, turning a manageable field-goal situation into a long-distance gamble. With New England trailing by six, the Bears suddenly faced a decision that could have reopened the door to a dramatic finish.
Chicago didn't punt. Cairo Santos trotted onto the field and drilled a 58-yard field goal, giving the Bears a 30-21 lead with roughly a minute and a half remaining. The kick was a career long for Santos. It also transformed the final minute and a half of New England's 30-24 loss at Soldier Field.
The Sack That Didn't Save New England
The play before the kick looked favorable for the Patriots. Williams had been facing third-and-5 at the New England 30-yard line, a spot that would have left Chicago with a far more conventional attempt if it failed to gain another yard. Instead, the quarterback was brought down for a 10-yard loss. The Bears faced fourth-and-15, and their field-goal try became considerably more demanding.
A career-long 58-yard FG from Bears kicker Cairo Santos — and a gutsy decision from HC Ben Johnson. https://t.co/wDNqEVwzxV
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 23, 2026
That sequence should have been a gift to a defense trying to give Drake Maye one last possession. The Patriots had already fought back from multiple double-digit deficits and were still one touchdown away from taking the lead. A missed kick would have offered excellent field position, while a punt would have forced Chicago to surrender the ball without adding points.
Santos had also missed from 53 yards earlier in the fourth quarter, hitting the upright. Ben Johnson's decision to trust him again therefore came with real risk. This was not simply a routine kick at the end of a comfortable win. It was a chance to make the Patriots need two possessions instead of one, after an earlier long-range attempt had failed.
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Why The Final Minute Played Differently
The successful kick did not technically end the game. Maye quickly moved New England into scoring range, and Andy Borregales converted a 47-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 30-24 with 37 seconds remaining. But the Patriots were now forced to rely on an onside kick rather than getting another conventional offensive series with time remaining.
Rome Odunze recovered the attempt for Chicago. A game that had featured 321 passing yards from Maye, a 48-yard touchdown catch by Rhamondre Stevenson and a 30-yard score by Eli Raridon ended without the Patriots getting another chance to attack the end zone. The Bears had found the one late special-teams play that made their six-point lead substantially safer.
New England has more to examine than a single field goal. The Patriots surrendered 308 passing yards to Williams, gave up 130 receiving yards to Luther Burden III and missed opportunities earlier in the game. Yet the final swing remains striking: a sack that should have increased Chicago's anxiety instead became the prelude to the longest field goal of Santos' career.
That is the cruelty of a close NFL loss. Sometimes a defense does what it wants on third down, only for the opposing kicker to erase the advantage from 58 yards away. The Patriots got their stop. They just never received the reward they expected.