Bears lose a valuable member of the team due to something outside of Chicago’s control, and it could have major implications
Jake Moody is heading back to Washington.
The Chicago Bears continue to find ways to win close games and each week have a new hero on the roster who is paving the way for the team to come out on top.
On Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, veteran kicker Cairo Santos came through as the hero after hitting a 48-yard game-winning field goal, showing some resilience too after missing a field goal wide left earlier in the game and backing up some of the confidence shown by the team.
“That’s who he is. I’ve got a lot of confidence in him,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson said of Santos after the game. “He doesn’t let one miss phase him. He embodies who we are as a team.”
While the Bears claim to have confidence in Santos, Chicago jumped at the opportunity to add some reassurances to the building by signing Jake Moody earlier in the season, days after being released by the San Francisco 49ers.
When Santos dealt with a thigh injury that forced him to miss two games, the Bears’ quick-thinking proved to be valuable with Moody going eight of nine on FGs and three for three on PATs, including a walk-off against the Washington Commanders in brutal weather back in Week 6.
But the team’s head coach quickly shut down all conspiracy talks about who the team’s main kicker would be, opting to continue rolling with Santos despite his limitations. Moody then reverted back to the team’s practice squad, a risky move, and now we can see why that was a risky move.
Commanders sign Jake Moody off the Bears’ practice squad going into Week 12
On Monday, the Washington Commanders cut kicker Matt Gay and later in the day found their new starting kicker by signing Moody off the Bears’ practice squad. Clearly, they were impressed by what Moody showed against them back in Week 6.
Now, the Bears have absolutely no other choice but to continue rolling with Santos throughout the remainder of the season. Even with his far-too-often mistakes, the Bears have continued to express nothing but confidence in Santos’ ability to go out there and deliver.
“I love where our team is at right now. It’s not always pretty,” Santos said in the locker room after the game on Sunday. “I made a mistake, and I don’t want to put our team in that situation again. But we all trust each other and have faith we’re all going to come clutch in the end.”
Without the security blanket of Moody, the right leg of Santos will be under the microscope even more over the next seven weeks, with the team hoping to remain in playoff contention and some big games coming up on the schedule. We’ll see if he continues to deliver, and if the Bears add another contingency plan after losing Moody.
Chicago Bears News
‘He embodies who we are as a team’ — Bears HC Ben Johnson shows nothing but respect for a player he’ll never seem to lose confidence in
Cairo Santos came through in a big way for the Bears in Week 11.
