Bears kicker Cairo Santos converts all six kicks in win over Seahawks
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Bears kicker Cairo Santos made both field goals and all four PATs in a 34-17 win at Seattle.
The bounce-back game followed a missed field goal in each of his prior three games.
Background
Cairo Santos is the Chicago Bears' veteran place kicker and the most accurate field-goal kicker in franchise history at 88.3% (158 of 179), holding the club record for field goals of at least 50 yards with 25. He played two games with the Bears in 2017, rejoined them in 2020 and has stayed in Chicago since, converting 40 straight field goal tries in 2020-21 — a Bears record tied for the third longest streak in NFL history. The Seattle game drew attention because he had missed a field-goal try in each of the previous three games.
How it unfolded
- Dec 24, 2025Santos was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in a 22-16 overtime win over the Packers.
- Sep 24, 2026Santos was a non-participant in the Thursday practice estimate with a right hip injury, after having a kick blocked in a weather-affected 9-3 loss to the Vikings.
- Oct 20, 2026He made one of two field-goal attempts and all four PATs in a 31-23 win over the Falcons, missing from 56 yards and making a 50-yarder.
- Oct 23, 2026After coach Ben Johnson initially called for a punt, Santos convinced the coaches to let him try a 58-yard field goal that sealed a Thursday night win over the Patriots — longer than any kick he had made in his NFL career.
- Nov 2, 2026The Bears beat the Seahawks 34-17 on Monday night in Seattle.
- Nov 3, 2026Santos made both field-goal tries (44 and 38 yards) and all four PATs in the win, putting him at 13-for-17 on field goals and 25-for-25 on PATs for the season.
- Nov 8, 2026Santos kicked a PAT in the first half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Soldier Field.
Key terms
- PATs
- In gridiron football, a play after a touchdown in which the scoring team kicks the ball through the uprights for one additional point.
- field goals
- Tries to kick the ball between the uprights and over the crossbar to score points in gridiron football.
- NFC Special Teams Player of the Week
- One of the two conferences of the National Football League, with 16 teams split into four divisions.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Expert
- Former Bears long snapper Patrick Mannelly said he will never take anyone over Robbie Gould for trusting someone to make a clutch field goal, but has plenty of respect for what Santos has done for the Bears, especially lately.