The Bears have repeatedly tried to downplay kicker Cairo Santos’ recent rut as merely part of the “ebbs and flows of the season,” as special teams coordinator Richard Hightower put it, but he has now missed a kick in four of the last five games.
Santos sent an extra point wide left from the right hash after Montgomery’s touchdown run midway through the second quarter. He also missed one in the last game against the Packers and Week 10 against the Lions.
Between field goals and extra points, Santos has made just 14 of 19 kicks over his last five games. He has hit 90% of his field goals, but just 82.1% of his extra points. He has missed an NFL-high five extra points this season, tied with the Vikings’ Greg Joseph.
Santos said “there’s a glitch” in his kicks from the right hash, where he usually spots the ball on extra points and switched mid-game to the center. He was perplexed because he’s not having any problems in practice.
“Every miss frustrates and annoys you,” Santos said. “It eats me alive.”
He has made 88.6% of his field goals at Soldier Field over his career, which is the highest of all time, but made just 86% of his extra points — second-lowest among those who have kicked at least 10 in their career.
Santos has made 89.3% of his field goals as a Bear, the highest in team history.
