Kicking has been front of mind for Chicago Bears fans all season. Cairo Santos hasn't been as reliable in 2025, not only missing two games but also missing three field goals in the six games he suited up for. His lack of leg power continues to be a problem. With Jake Moody performing admirably during his absence, plenty of fans have begun to ask the question of whether the Bears need to consider a kicker change.
For now, Moody remains on the practice squad, and head coach Ben Johnson is sticking with Santos. In Week 10, however, the Bears are facing a kicker twist from their opponents. The New York Giants are dealing with a kicker concern ahead of Sunday, as ESPN's Jordan Raanan revealed that Graham Gano did not participate in Wednesday's practice. He was listed with a neck injury, putting his availability for Week 10 in jeopardy.
Giants Facing Kicker Trouble Ahead of Bears Matchup in Week 10
The 38-year-old Gano suffered a groin injury earlier in the season and missed four games. In his stead, Jude McAtamney from Northern Ireland took over, but things didn't go well. McAtamney missed two extra-point attempts in Week 7 and cost his team a win against the Broncos. He was released before being brought back to the practice squad.
Whether the Giants will elevate McAtamney again remains to be seen, but the Giants have multiple options on their practice squad for some reason. Younghoe Koo, after being one of the more reliable kickers in the league during his seven-year stint with the Falcons, is waiting for his turn on the Giants' practice squad. With how much McAtamney struggled, Koo may be in line to get his first chance in New York.
The Giants may need more from whichever kicker they go with on Sunday after their offense has been struggling in recent weeks. After losing Cam Skattebo and Malik Nabers for the season, the Giants' offense hasn't been as dynamic as it looked earlier in the season. They have failed to go over 300 yards of offense in their past two games. For the season, they rank in the bottom half of the league in both yards per carry and net yards per passing attempt.
This is an excellent opportunity for the Bears' defense to bounce back after their worst performance of the season in Week 9. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen was getting the most out of this group early in the season, and the defense is still forcing a ton of turnovers, but the Bears simply can't afford to give up 42 points and 495 yards again like they did against the Bengals.
Forcing the struggling Giants' kickers to try and hit long-range field goals should give the Bears a big advantage on Sunday.