Cairo Santos' new kickoff strategy could be a hidden weapon for Chicago

If Sunday's game was any indication, the kickoff woes could be a thing of the past.

Nov 16, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Chicago Bears kicker Cairo Santos (8) reacts after kicking a game-winning field goal during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images | Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

Remember the rarely utilized squib kick in the Madden video games? The point of the kick (also commonly referred to as the 'dirty ball') is to make it difficult for the returner to catch the ball. It comes out as a knuckleball of sorts and is significantly more difficult to field than a normal kickoff.

The Bears have begun utilizing the strategy in recent weeks, and kicker Cairo Santos seems to have really gotten the hang of it. They held Minnesota in check with a few successful attempts last week. That turned out to be nothing more than a soft launch, though. Santos put on a dirty kick masterclass in Sunday's 31-28 win over the Steelers.

Not only did he successfully pin Pittsburgh on their own goal line (the five-yard line, to be exact) on Chicago's first kickoff, but he bounced the next one through the landing zone out of the back of the end zone. That gave the Steelers the ball at their own 20, instead of the 35, which it would have been if it hadn't bounced in the landing zone.

He also continued to make life difficult on the Steelers' returners throughout the game, consistently allowing Chicago's coverage unit to race down the field. When all was said and done, the Steelers' average starting field position off of kickoffs was their own 21-yard line. That's a far cry from the league-wide average starting field position of 29.4 yards (according to study from NFL Football Operations).

Cairo Santos has been working hard on those dirty kicks. They keep getting better each week. Huge special teams play!

— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) November 23, 2025

Ben Johnson gave Santos his flowers for the performance against the Steelers. "Cairo is doing a phenomenal job with some of these dirty kicks, and it's really helping us with our field position there to start drives on defense," Johnson said on Monday.

Special teams coordinator Richard Hightower echoed a similar sentiment to reporters on Tuesday. "I think it [the dirty kicks] was a huge boost, Hightower said. "The thing I get a kick out of is when I see DA [defensive coordinator Dennis Allen] smile big like that when I see the ball is tackled at the five yard line."

With the new rules in place, kickoffs have become one of the most volatile plays in the game, as we saw go in Chicago's favor last week against Minnesota. The team that wins the field position battle on special teams often puts itself in the best position to win the game. It makes it easier for the defense to play bend-but-don't-break football and, in turn, often gives their offense a shorter field to work with.

Quality play in the kickoff game can quickly swing the pendulum one way or the other. It clearly swung in Chicago's favor on Sunday. Santos deserves much credit for that.

It will be interesting to see if they can build on the performance and continue deploying the dirty ball tactic going forward.

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