JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Bears kicker Cairo Santos hit field goals from 20 and 40 yards to tie Robbie Gould’s franchise record with 24 consecutive makes.
Santos, who bounced around six teams from 2017 through ’19, has stormed back with the best season of his career. He has made 27 of 29 (93.1%) field-goal tries and can break Gould’s single-season accuracy record of 89.7%, set in 2008 and ’13. Santos’ only misses have been from 46 and 52 yards.
He also has made 35 of 36 extra points, with his only miss being a kick that was stuffed immediately on a blocking breakdown.
The Bears planned to go into this season with Eddy Pineiro returning as their kicker, but brought in Santos as insurance when Pineiro got hurt in August. Pineiro has remained on injured reserve for the season and will be a free agent in 2021.
Bears coach Matt Nagy advocated for the team to sign Santos despite three rough seasons because of their time together in Kansas City from 2014 through ‘17.
