Chicago Bears win big, but is kicker Cairo Santos becoming a liability on kickoff?

The Chicago Bears opened up the 2026-27 season in style, with a massive 59-37 win over the Carolina Panthers.

Head coach Ben Johnson had big expectations for this offense, and he exceeded them in this first test. The Panthers’ defense was one of the toughest in the NFC last season, but the Bears made them look amateur during Week 1.

Even with multiple defenders out, they got the job done.

Dropping a whopping 59 points in the season opener? It almost feels fake if you’re a Bears fan.

The offense was great – especially against a solid defense on the road. But what about kicker Cairo Santos, who failed to reach the landing zone twice during today’s victory?

Bears fans weren’t happy about it, as they voiced their opinions online.

2 kicks from Cairo Santos today short of the landing zone. Just can’t happen.

— Harrison Graham (@HGrahamNFL) September 13, 2026

Indefensible stuff here from Cairo Santos. Short of the landing zone. Second penalized kickoff for him today.

You just can’t have that. #DaBears

— Ryan Droste (@ryandroste) September 13, 2026

Second time today Cairo Santos has had a short kick for a penalty. #Bears

— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) September 13, 2026

Santos has been one of the league’s most consistent field goal kickers for many years now. Last season, Santos was 25-for-30 on field goal attempts and proved to be a reliable kicker yet again for the Bears.

The Brazilian has been in the NFL since 2014 and with the Bears since 2020. He was named captain for the second year in a row earlier this offseason.

With that being said, Santos looked rough today during the kickoffs. He gave Carolina great field position multiple times during the victory. Luckily, this Chicago offense was elite enough, so it didn’t matter.

The Chicago Bears can’t give up on Cairo Santos yet, but his kickoff struggles are worth keeping an eye on

It wasn’t all bad for Santos in the Week 1 victory, as he hit his only field goal attempt, a 40-yarder.

He was also 8-for-8 on extra points, which is also huge when discussing today’s kickers in the NFL. You really don’t know how well you have it until you have a kicker who can’t consistently make extra points.

Cairo Santos will likely be the Chicago Bears’ kicker for the entire season, but the kickoff issue is one to definitely keep tabs on. When you give the opposing offense such good field position (40-yard line) to start the drive, it won’t always end well.

And it certainly didn’t for the Bears, as the defense still gave up 37 points.

Luckily, Caleb Williams and the rest of this Chicago offense looked lethal during this first week and proved that this unit will be a tough one. The run game was on points – and Williams had the passing attack looking as lethal as ever.

59 points in a season opener on the road? That’s something that all 32 teams in this league will take, regardless of how it looks on tape.

The post Chicago Bears win big, but is kicker Cairo Santos becoming a liability on kickoff? appeared first on ChiCitySports.