Bear Digest

Bears' Cairo Santos trolls Vikings fans after epic game-winning field goal

Clinching the win over a division rival had Cairo Santos feeling pretty good about himself.
Pete Martuneac|
Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson had a 5-word message for the Bears after their incredible Week 9 win over the Bengals: don't apologize for a win. Two weeks later, it would seem that kicker Cairo Santos took this message to heart.

After the Bears' astonishing 19-17 win over the Vikings in Week 11, Cairo Santos was awarded a game ball from head coach Ben Johnson in the locker room and Santos accepted it by performing the Griddy dance, made famous by Minnesota's own Justin Jefferson, and mocking the Vikings' Skol chant. Check it out in the video below.

No one on the team deserved this celebration more than Santos, who was four-of-five on field goals on Sunday, including a 54-yarder and the game-winning boot as time expired. Without his performance, the Bears likely get humiliated once again at the hands of a division rival and slide back down the standings.

Earlier in the season, there was talk of the Bears potentially replacing Santos with Jake Moody, the hero of Week 6 who lifted the Bears to victory over the Washington Commanders. In the five weeks since then, I think it's safe to say that Santos has put any such kicker controversy to bed.

The Bears are winning, and they and their fans deserve to celebrate

As Johnson told his team, don't apologize for a win in this league. Wins are hard to come by in the NFL, the ultimate week-to-week league. Look just a little further up north to Green Bay, who started the season as Super Bowl contenders, but this week narrowly avoided a three-game losing streak at the hands of the 2-8 New York Giants.

Before we get the results of Sunday night's Lions-Eagles game, the Bears are in sole possession of first place in the NFC North, a lofty position not occupied by the Bears in many years. And while there's still plenty of football left to play in 2025, Bears fans should take the rare opportunity to celebrate being atop a very tough NFC North division.

Cairo Santo
Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

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Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

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