Kicker Cairo Santos went from zero to hero in the Chicago Bears' 30-24 win over the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football, where he booted the eventual game-winning 58-yard field goal to send Chicago to a 5-2 record.
Before Santos kicked the Bears to their fifth win of the season, he had a brutal miss on a 53-yard field goal attempt early in the fourth quarter. Luckily, it didn't end up costing Chicago, whose defense forced a three-and-out on New England's offense. On the ensuing possession, Santos would get another chance.
After a costly sack taken by quarterback Caleb Williams, which resulted in a 10-yard loss, it looked like the Bears were taken out of field goal range. After all, Santos had just missed a 53-yarder and 58 yards was a lot to ask, given a miss would've given the Patriots prime field position to win the game with a touchdown.
While head coach Ben Johnson initially elected to punt, an injury time out gave him time to be swayed by Santos, who convinced Johnson to let him kick the game-winner.
"It meant a lot because, like I was saying, I haven’t had that many opportunities in that distance, and it was a big moment in the game that put the game away," Santos said, "… and I never shy away in those opportunities. So, when [Johnson] asked [Richard Hightower] on the radio, ‘Does he want it?’ I heard it and I said, ‘Tell him, I want it.’"
Santos responded to his earlier miss with a career-long 58-yard field goal that put the Bears up two scores with 1:34 left in the game. While the Patriots proceeded to boot a field goal on the following drive and elected to attempt an onside kick to give them a chance at a win, wide receiver Rome Odunze sealed the game with the recovery and Santos got to be the hero with one of the biggest kicks of his career.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Cairo Santos convinced Bears HC Ben Johnson to let him kick 58-yard FG