The Chicago Bears easily had the most eventful game of the Week 9 slate. Seemingly squandering the game, only to come back miraculously to win it at the very end, the Bears improved to 5-3 for the season. The offense looked significantly better than it did in recent weeks, going over 500 yards for the first time this season.
Yet, the Bears didn't necessarily answer all the questions the fans had going into Sunday. In fact, the kicking concerns were brought to the surface once again with Cairo Santos struggling for the second straight week since his return from injury.
Cairo Santos' Continued Struggles Raise Questions About His Future
Santos had his 47-yard field goal blocked at the end of the first half, which could have tied the game heading into the locker room. The 33-year-old kicker's afternoon could have been even worse if he hadn't been saved by an offside call earlier in the first quarter.
Santos missed a 47-yard field goal wide right, but the Bengals were called for a defensive offside for a five-yard penalty. This pushed the Bears into a four-and-one situation at Cincinnati 25, and they went for it before making the most of it by scoring a touchdown.
Even though the veteran kicker's first-quarter blunder didn't count, it still adds to the struggles he has been having this season. Santos missed a 58-yard field goal last week at the end of the first half that could have cut the Ravens' lead to one before halftime.
Now, he officially has two, but in reality three, misses in two weeks since his thigh injury. For the season, Santos is now 11/14 (not including his miss that didn't count today), which would easily be his worst mark since joining the Bears six years ago.
In contrast, Jake Moody was perfect in Santos' absence, making 8/9 in field goals and going 3/3 in extra point attempts in his two games. The only missed field goal was a blocked kick. Moody also provides a more powerful leg that suits the modern game better than Santos, who has never made a field goal longer than 55 yards.
Moody has one more elevation left before he has to be signed to the active roster. This obviously complicates things for the Bears, who would have to make a call before it's too late. The former 49ers kicker has had a poor start to his career until turning it around in Chicago, but it's important to remember that it was only two games. This makes it hard to trust him over a veteran like Santos, who has been so reliable for so long.
How they are kicking at practice will obviously be a big factor here, and Ben Johnson's trust in Santos is understandable. At the same time, this is clearly an issue that the coaching staff has to address before Santos costs the Bears any more games.