After firing offensive coordinator Shane Waldron earlier in the week, the Chicago Bears came up short on Sunday with a 20-19 loss to the rival Green Bay Packers. The NFC North showdown came down to the wire, ending when Packers defensive lineman Karl Brooks blocked Bears kicker Cairo Santos' game-winning field-goal attempt as the final seconds ran out.
The blocked field goal is the reason why the Bears' losing streak has been extended to four games in a row. It's even more frustrating because it seemed like victory was as close to guaranteed as could be given that Santos was 9-of-11 (81.8%) on 40-plus-yard tries this season before his latest attempt.
After the heartbreaking defeat, Chicago's kicker gave a surprising response regarding the game-ending play.
In a clip shared by the "Bears on CHSN" X account, Santos told reporters that he rewatched the blocked attempt on his phone after the game. While some players may have been hard on themselves after being rejected, the ex-Tulane kicker was surprisingly content with his effort.
"I think (the Packers) made a play more than anything," Santos told reporters in the scrum. "The ball looked like it was right on target."
Santos added that he's always going to self-reflect after similar situations to figure out ways that he could improve. Even though he was happy with his 46-yard attempt before it was blocked, that didn't stop him from somewhat imagining what he could've done differently.
"I like the way I hit the ball but maybe if I hit it higher (that block) doesn't happen," Santos told reporters. "I think they just got enough penetration to make the play and credit to them."
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus drew some criticism for his decision-making ahead of Santos' unsuccessful attempt. Chicago's offense had the ball and a timeout with over 30 seconds remaining on the clock, however, Eberflus & Co. didn't make any real attempts to make their kicker's life easier.
Santos was asked if a closer FG attempt may have changed his approach, however, he's unsure if that would've made a difference.
"That was a comfortable range, left hash and that left-to-right wind. Everything felt great," Santos said. "It looked like the line the ball was going in was right down the middle, I hit it solid with my foot. So, the operation was good."
With their fourth consecutive defeat, the Bears now firmly sit at the bottom of the NFC North with a 4-6 record. Unless they win every single remaining game, making the playoffs is a pipedream as they currently have less than a 1% chance of qualifying for the postseason, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
Santos and the Bears don't have much time to dwell on their latest loss as another divisional matchup looms. Eberflus' team hosts the rival Minnesota Vikings in Week 12 after the latter extended their win streak to three games with a 23-13 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
The upcoming home game is projected to be an uphill battle as the Bears are currently 3.5-point underdogs to the Vikings, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
