Cairo Santos Hit the Upright, Then Drilled a Career-Long 58-Yarder as the Bears Held Off the Patriots 30-24

By The Arena Staff

CHICAGO, Oct. 23, 2026 — Cairo Santos clanged a 53-yard field goal off the right upright in the fourth quarter Thursday night. A few minutes later, after a sack had pushed the Chicago Bears even farther back, he asked for a 58-yarder and made it, the longest of his career. That kick put Chicago up two scores late, and the Bears held off the New England Patriots 30-24 on Thursday Night Football, the AP and NBC Sports reported.

Chicago is now 5-2. New England fell to 4-3.

Watch the highlights on the Chicago Bears' official YouTube channel (Video: Chicago Bears, "Chicago Bears Highlights vs. New England Patriots | 2026 Regular Season Week 7")

## The Kick

With 7:57 left and the Bears up 27-21, Santos' 53-yard try hit the inside of the right upright, ChicagoBears.com reported.

On Chicago's next drive, Caleb Williams took a 10-yard sack on third-and-5 at the New England 30, which looked like it had pushed the Bears out of range, NBC Sports' ProFootballTalk reported. Coach Ben Johnson sent Santos out anyway.

"I was talking to HT [special teams coordinator Richard Hightower] that I felt good about the line and then Ben asked, 'Does he want it?' And I told HT, 'I want it,'" Santos told reporters, according to the team's site. "On the 58-yarder, the ball didn't move. I'm just going to go right down the middle."

The kick made it 30-21 with 1:34 left.

## The Last Scare

New England moved quickly into range, and Andy Borregales hit a 47-yard field goal with 37 seconds left to make it a one-score game. The Patriots tried an onside kick, and Rome Odunze recovered it to seal the win, both NBC Sports and ChicagoBears.com reported.

## Round 2 of Williams vs. Maye

The game was the second meeting between Williams and Drake Maye, the first and third picks of the 2024 NFL draft. Maye's Patriots won the first one 19-3 when both were rookies, the AP reported.

This time Williams went 22 of 33 for 308 yards and two touchdowns. Second-year receiver Luther Burden III caught four passes for 130 yards and a touchdown, all in the first half. That included a 24-yard screen he turned into a touchdown just before halftime, behind a wave of blockers, according to the team's recap. D'Andre Swift ran 22 times for 78 yards and a score.

Maye was sharp too: 24 of 31 for 321 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, plus a rushing touchdown. Rhamondre Stevenson took a short pass 48 yards for a touchdown on the last play of the first half, NBC Sports reported.

## Injury Watch

Bears tight end Cole Kmet was carted to the locker room with a knee injury midway through the fourth quarter. "We'll know more tomorrow, but I don't think it looked very good," Johnson said after the game, according to ChicagoBears.com. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Friday that Kmet will have tests on the knee after the non-contact injury, NFL.com said.

Update, Oct. 23, 4 PM ET: Friday's tests showed Kmet will miss the rest of the season with a right knee injury, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Johnson said Kmet is headed to injured reserve, according to the Sun-Times and USA Today. "He's Chicago. He's been here his whole life. He's a big part of our heartbeat. It stinks," Johnson said, per the Sun-Times.

> What We Know
> - Final: Bears 30, Patriots 24 (Thursday Night Football, Oct. 22, Soldier Field)
> - Big kick: Cairo Santos, career-long 58 yards, with 1:34 left, after missing from 53 off the upright
> - Clincher: Rome Odunze recovered the Patriots' onside kick with 37 seconds left
> - Williams: 22 of 33, 308 yards, 2 TD
> - Maye: 24 of 31, 321 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, plus a rushing TD
> - Burden: 4 catches, 130 yards, 1 TD
> - Records: Bears 5-2, Patriots 4-3
> - Injury: TE Cole Kmet (right knee) is out for the season and headed to injured reserve

Reported by AP News, NBC Sports, ChicagoBears.com, with injury updates from the Chicago Sun-Times and USA Today.

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<small>Photo: Ken Lund, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (file photo of Soldier Field).</small>