Connor Barth didn’t last until lunchtime one day after shanking a 46-yard field goal that would have sent the Bears’ game to overtime against the Lions. While coach John Fox didn’t blame the one miss Monday, he made it clear the kicker wasn’t surprised by the move. Barth missed five of his final 15 kicks.
“He’d tell you the same thing —It wasn’t going great,” Fox said. “It just wasn’t (Sunday’s) kick. We haven’t been in the red area a lot. … So those four misses, (number) five (Sunday), you feel it.
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“He sensed it, and he understands.”
One week after bringing him in for a tryout, the Bears signed former Chiefs kicker Cairo Santos to take Barth’s place. The 26-year-old made all three field goal attempts and all six extra points this season before re-injuring the groin he hurt during training camp. The Chiefs cut him Sept. 30.
“Getting him healthy from that I think was key — for him and us,” Fox said. “We were fortunate that he was available. That’s why we signed him.”
Santos was the NFL’s fifth-most accurate kicker last year, going 31-for-35 on field goals last. He missed only one kick in nine tries from 40 yards or longer.
“He gets pretty good lift on the ball,” Fox said. “His leg strength he’s developed, he has good hang time on his kickoffs. I’d say the key is he’s an accomplished kicker in the National Football League.”
