CHICAGO — Bears coach Matt Eberflus called the final play to move kicker Cairo Santos closer to the south end zone at Soldier Field at the end of Chicago’s Week 11 loss to the Green Bay Packers. He defended his decision not to do one.
With Chicago leading by one point, Santos attempted a 46-yard field goal, but it was blocked by Packers defensive tackle Carl Brooks as time expired. Chicago’s 20-19 loss on Sunday marked its 11th straight loss against Green Bay, dating back to the 2018 season.
“I had a good feel for where the kick line was,” Eberflus said. “The wind didn’t affect us today, but Cairo made a number of kicks in that range. We’re confident in Cairo and we’re confident in our strategy there.”
The Bears’ final drive began at their own 30-yard line with 2:59 remaining. Quarterback Caleb Williams connects with fellow rookie Roman Odunze for a 16-yard reception on third-and-19, finds Odunze again and converts on a fourth-and-3, breaking through midfield and into Green Bay territory. did.
Chicago gained another first down, with Roshon Johnson running the ball and gaining 2 yards on a play that started with 35 seconds left at the Packers’ 30-yard line. With the clock down to three seconds, the Bears used their final timeout to send Santos and the kicking team onto the field. Green Bay had no timeouts left.
Santos’ attempt was thwarted, and the Packers sideline erupted in celebration as Green Bay (7-3, 1-2 NFC North) clinched its Division 1 win this season.
It was only the second time in franchise history that the Packers prevented a potential game-winning or tying field goal on the final play of a game. The other case came on November 26, 1939, against the Cleveland Rams.
“They were loading boxes there,” Eberflus said. “I would say we can definitely do it, we can probably get a few more yards, but we also run the risk of fumbling there or doing something else. We felt where we were, if we If you’re at 36 or 35 yards, you’re definitely going to give it to you.” You want to do it because you want to get it in there. I was very confident in the wind and position on the field at that time. ”
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In Chicago’s 35-16 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 7, Santos had a 43-yard field goal attempt blocked, but he was forced to relieve injured long snapper Scott Daley and replace tight end Santos. Cole Kmet scored the ball.
“That was a comfortable range,” Santos said. “A left hash in a left or right wind, everything felt great and the line the ball was going to seemed to be right in the middle. I hit it solid with my foot. The operation was good, the snap, Hold. They just made a good play getting in there.”
The last thing Packers players heard the night before the game was a message from special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia during a team meeting.
“I’ll tell you this: Rich told his team last night, ‘If we come out of this game without a block, whether it’s a field goal or a PAT, you won’t understand,'” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. spoke. “Great job then, special teams coach.”
It was due to vulnerabilities that Bisaccia and his staff saw on footage from the Bears’ blocking unit. It took until Chicago’s final kick to figure out the best way to take advantage of it.
“I knew if I could get through the middle, I could make a good push,” said Packers safety Xavier McKinney, who lined up on the edge of Santos’ blind side. “And we were able to get the push that we needed because we believed our players were going to play big up front and get stronger. And we were able to get it when we needed it in the big moments.” We were studying film that block all week and we were able to figure it out.”
Brooks said he was able to pinpoint exactly where he got the ball. It was the middle finger of my left hand.
“When I first touched it, I didn’t think it was good enough,” Brooks said. He also blocked a field goal against the Minnesota Vikings last season as a rookie. “And it fell short. That’s when I really celebrated. So it was definitely fun. It was cool. It was a good experience.”
Brooks received an assist from Lucas Van Ness and performed a push push of his own.
“I was on the same side as Karl and I knew he was going to put pressure on the inside gap, so I just got behind him and pushed him as hard as I could,” Van Ness said. “Before I knew it, I saw his hand go up and I heard a ‘thud’ and I heard everyone screaming. I was so excited. I was happy to be out there and this team won. I did my best to contribute.”
Green Bay rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper said the team noticed on film that Santos was kicking with a lower trajectory compared to the other kickers, and the Packers missed Santos’ first field goal early in the game. He said he witnessed it on his 53-yard shot in the first quarter. .
“We’ve really emphasized that this week,” Cooper said. “We saw how low he was kicking the ball, so we knew we had a pretty good chance of blocking it.”
Cooper and fellow linebacker Quay Walker are upset that Chicago (4-6, 0-1) didn’t make another play when it had time to try and close field goal range. Everyone was surprised.
“There’s at least one more play,” Walker said. “Run the ball at least closer to a field goal.”
Sunday’s trip was the second time since Week 8 that the Bears lost a game in embarrassing fashion on the final play. In Washington, command wide receiver Noah Brown caught a Hail Mary pass that went into his hands as he stood defenseless in the end zone. Bears cornerback Tyrik Stevenson came under intense scrutiny and briefly lost his spot in the starting lineup after he was removed from defensive duty after exchanging jaws with a fan leading a play.
“It’s almost comical,” Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson said Sunday of the nature of the Bears’ recent losses. “It’s a lucky draw at the moment. We have to think about how we can be better.”
