Chicago Bears: Eddy Pineiro steals the show with 58-yard field goal

Have the Chicago Bears found their kicker in Eddy Pineiro? If Saturday night was any indication, they just might have.

To most, the NFL preseason is fairly meaningless. For the Chicago Bears, very few snaps hold true, long-term value for the team. The majority of their roster is locked down for the 2019 season; all but just a handful of spots are solidified.

The single most important roster spot for this team, however, has yet to be decided.

Or has it?

Saturday night, the Bears traveled to Indianapolis and battled the Colts in a matchup featuring plenty of players who will fail to make the final cut. The one position everybody was watching for Chicago, though, will certainly be talked about in the coming days.

Following the second preseason game against the New York Giants, Chicago released kicker Elliott Fry. This left Eddy Pineiro as the sole kicker on the roster.

Had the Bears made up their mind? Was Matt Nagy satisfied with Pineiro going forward?

I highly doubt that was the case. Instead, Fry was simply not going to be the guy in the end. Pineiro was the better choice, and thus still had a shot to win the job. Maybe the Bears would bring in another veteran who doesn’t make the cut on their respective roster, later on.

For now, it’s Pineiro — and on Saturday night, he was good.

The Bears beat the Colts 27-17 and Pineiro went 2-for-2 on field goals while converting all three of his extra points .

The most impressive kick came with just under six minutes left in the third quarter. The Bears’ drive stalled, and Nagy opted to let Pineiro try a 58-yard field goal.

He nailed it.

Pineiro not only nailed that kick, he may have nailed down the job for himself.

The Bears have one preseason game to go, against the Tennessee Titans. I’m sure Pineiro will be one of the only guys playing any sort of important role in that contest, so he will be the top player to watch for Chicago.

Should he finish the preseason strong, I don’t see why he doesn’t start the 2019 season as the Bears’ full-time starting kicker.

Here’s to hoping the team finally has this thing figured out.