Bears kicker Cairo Santos earns NFC Special Teams Player of the Week after key kicks vs. Green Bay
NFC North reacts after crazy Bears win, Lions loss and Pro Bowl news | 1st & North
On this episode of "1st & North," Lou Canellis and NFC North insiders break down a wild week around the division. The Bears stun the Packers, sending fans into a frenzy after DJ Moore’s touchdown, while Green Bay looks for answers on how to bounce back. The panel also dives into the Lions’ heartbreaking loss as their playoff hopes dwindle, sparking debate over whether the NFL has it out for Detroit. Plus, J.J. McCarthy is injured again and will miss another game, Pro Bowl rosters are announced, and key injuries around the division are discussed, including Jordan Love.
The Chicago Bears took home another weekly accolade.
This time, their kicker was honored for keeping the Bears in the game despite less-than-ideal conditions.
The NFL honored Bears kicker Cairo Santos as the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
What we know:
To earn this award, Santos kicked into the swirling Soldier Field wind and nailed field goals of 51-, 46- and 43-yards.
"He’s definitely well deserving of that award this week," Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower said. "The whole field goal team has a part in that and they were fired up today."
The winds were evident on the lake front Saturday.
Debris was being blown up in the air by the gusts, and Santos still nailed key field goals from a challenging distance. That's why he earned a game ball on Saturday, too.
"He did a phenomenal job," Bears coach Ben Johnson said on Saturday. "I think that's a big asset for us. He's been here. He understands that wind. He does a great job in practice. He gets a lot of time-on-task with it. I thought he handled it really, really well. Huge reason why he got a game ball."
Santos also hit the onside kick ball that was recovered by Josh Blackwell, allowing the Bears to tie the game with a last-minute touchdown pass from Caleb Williams to Jahdae Walker.
Hightower said he's had to pull Santos off the field at times because he put so much into practicing his onside kick attempts.
The Bears have coached the different style of kicks and to anticipate how those kicks will bounce. Hightower noted that Santos' onside kick attempt on Saturday had one extra bounce to it, which made it difficult for Packers' receiver Romeo Doubs to get a clean hand on the kick.
"Some people tend to think that you can just go out there and you just kick the ball and ‘Oh they got it,'" Hightower said. "You know what I mean? Like that's crazy."
Big picture view:
Santos is the fifth Bear to earn an honor from the NFL.
With five different Bears being named Player of the Week during the 2025 season, this is the first season since 2006 where at least five different Bears have earned Player of the Week honors. The 2006 season had six players honored, and that 2006 team went to the Super Bowl.