Meaningless game? Cairo Santos, Chicago Bears needed this win over Green Bay more than ever

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Cairo Santos had been thinking about this moment, visualizing it, for weeks. The veteran Chicago Bears kicker knew he would have another chance against the Green Bay Packers in Week 18.

He couldn’t stop thinking about Week 11 against Green Bay at Soldier Field. That’s when the Packers stormed through the Bears' protection and blocked Santos' attempt at a game-winning field goal in the final seconds. That was Green Bay’s 11th consecutive win over the Bears.

It never was far from his mind.

“To be honest, you’re already kind of building that scenario for weeks,” Santos said Sunday at Lambeau Field.

When the Bears sent Santos out to attempt a 51-yard field goal in the final seconds Sunday at Lambeau, Santos knew this moment was meant to be his. Santos nailed the kick as time expired and the Bears beat the Packers, 24-22, for the first time since 2018.

It ended the 11-game losing streak against Green Bay and the 10-game losing streak that sunk the 2024 season. It marked the team’s first win at Lambeau Field since 2015. It came on team owner Virginia McCaskey’s 102nd birthday.

“I got on my knees with my wife and my mom this week and I prayed to have a moment to kick a game-winning field goal,” Santos said. “I specifically prayed for that. I don’t want to push religion on anybody, but it’s glory to God, in my perspective.”

Santos' prayers were answered. His teammates streamed onto the frozen field to celebrate.

Santos needed this. The Bears needed this. With everything this team has been through over the last four months – a backbreaking Hail Mary, an offensive coordinator firing, a head coach firing, a 10-game skid – a win in a meaningless game felt not so meaningless.

Forget that Packers quarterback Jordan Love didn’t play in the second half. Forget that the team going to the postseason in this contest was not the Bears. This team needed this.

“I mean, for me, a little relief, but also just like pure joy and excitement,” said tight end Cole Kmet, a hometown hero and one of many players on this roster who had never beaten Green Bay. “It’s cool to end this way this year.”

Seven weeks ago, the Bears felt that the Packers had hit long snapper Scott Daly illegally when they blocked the field goal at Soldier Field.

“If we had another opportunity, we weren’t going to mess it up,” Daly told the Shaw Local News Network on Sunday. “For Cairo to do that in that stadium, after everything we’ve endured all season long, just a testament to the kind of person that he is.”

Daly sprinted toward the end zone to find the game-winning football. He searched around in the netting for a moment looking for the ball – but a ballboy already had beat him to it.

Santos doesn’t remember what happened in the moments afterward. He emulated soccer star Didier Drogba’s celebration as his teammates ran after him on the field.

It’s a little bit of a blur because you don’t think about, ‘Oh, it’s happening.‘ You’re just kind of already replaying that play in your head, and you go do it.”

—  Cairo Santos, Bears kicker

“It’s a little bit of a blur because you don’t think about, ‘Oh, it’s happening,’ ” Santos said. “You’re just kind of already [visualizing] that play in your head, and you go do it.”

Does the franchise’s head coaching search begin first thing Monday morning? Yes. But the Bears – and their fans – could be forgiven for putting that aside for one night.

Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and the offense took possession at their own 20-yard line with 48 seconds on the clock. The No. 1 overall pick delivered his first real game-winning drive in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.

A big 18-yard connection with receiver DJ Moore over the middle set up the game-winning field goal.

“This is just a stepping stone,” Williams said. “The first win of 2025. We’ve got a lot more to come.”