Chicago Bears: 3 players whose stock soared in win over Panthers

2. K Cairo Santos

Since the exit of Robbie Gould, it seems Bears fans have had several short-lived moments where they would ask themselves, “Do we finally have a kicker?”

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Sunday against the Panthers, we were given another one of those moments. But, the question is now, will it be yet another short-lived instance?

Cairo Santos has done a pretty admirable job filling in for the injured Eddy Pineiro this year, and his Week 6 performance might have cemented the job for him permanently. In the win versus Carolina, Santos went a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals and knocked in both his extra points.

The most impressive part of his day was drilling a career-long 55-yarder. It’s no surprise to Bears fans when they see a kicker line up and whiff on a long try like that. In fact, most fans expect it by now.

But, the fact that Santos was able to hit from that distance not only did wonders for fans’ confidence, but his own. He knows he’s capable of making them from that distance in a game situation, now.

It’s been a long time since he’s hit a 50-plus yard field goal. His last kick of such distance came September 8, 2019. Before that kick, he hadn’t made one that long since 2016. Going forward, Santos knows he’s “the guy” for this team after one of his best performances to date.