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Friday, April 26, 2024
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Cairo Santos: First Bears kicker to win Special Teams Player of Month since 2010

Santos went 12-for-12 in December to close out the best season of his career. He solved a longstanding problem for the Bears at kicker.

By  Jason Lieser
   
SHARE Cairo Santos: First Bears kicker to win Special Teams Player of Month since 2010
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Santos set the Bears’ single-season record by making 93.8% of his field goals in 2020.

AP Photos

Cairo Santos went from wondering whether he’d ever play in the NFL again to being one of the best kickers in the league.

He closed his career year by making 12 of 12 field goals in December and winning NFC Special Teams Player of the Month, making him the only Bear to capture a player of the month award this season and the first kicker to do so since Robbie Gould in 2010.

His perfect December capped a streak of 27 consecutive field goals and put him at 93.8% for the season, with his only misses coming from 52 and 46 yards in September. He broke Gould’s franchise record for field goal accuracy of 89.7% in 2013 and ‘08 and made 36 of 37 extra points with his only miss coming on a kick that was blocked the instant it left his foot.

Santos finished seventh in the NFL in field goal accuracy.

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