Brazilian kicker Cairo Santos made four field goals, the last from 30 yards with 10 seconds left, as Chicago beat Minnesota 12-10 in an NFL game Monday.
The 32-year-old from Sao Paulo, in his 10th NFL campaign, also had passes of 25, 39 and 55 yards as the Bears improved to 4-8 while the stunned Vikings fell to 6-6.
Chicago quarterback Justin Fields fumbled the ball twice in the fourth quarter, the first time to set up a Minnesota touchdown and the second to give the ball back to the Vikings.
But the Bears defense forced a punt and Fields drove Chicago into Vikings territory in the final minutes.
“My teammates and coaches stayed behind me and the defense did a great job getting the ball back to the offense,” Fields said. “I couldn’t really change the past, so we were focused on future moments.”
Fields connected with DJ Moore on a 36-yard pass over the middle to the Minnesota 13-yard line on the longest play of the game with 55 seconds left, setting the stage for the game-winning kick Santos.
“It got a little tough on those two fumbles, so I had to bounce back,” Fields said. “I played well enough to get the W, but there’s definitely room for improvement.”
The Vikings own the seventh and final playoff spot in the NFC, but with only a half-game lead over Atlanta, Green Bay and the Los Angeles Rams.
Santos kicked a 39-yard field goal in the third quarter and added another 55-yarder in the fourth to give the Bears a 9-3 lead.
Minnesota quarterback Joshua Dobbs had been intercepted by Bears defenders Jaylon Johnson, TJ Edwards, Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker, but he finally solved Chicago’s defensive unit late in the fourth quarter.
Dobbs marched the Vikings 77 yards in eight plays after Fields’ first fumble for the go-ahead points, completing 4 of 5 passes for 65 yards – including a 17-yard touchdown to TJ Hockenson as Minnesota caught a 10-9. advantage with 5:54 left, setting the stage for the Bears’ thrilling final march.
Santos put the Bears ahead 3-0 with a 25-yard field goal early in the second quarter, but Greg Joseph answered with a 34-yarder to pull the Vikings level 3-3 at halftime.
