Ben Johnson Blames Brazilian Kicker After NFL Kickoff Rule Change Costs Them Win

After dominating the Minnesota Vikings for three quarters, the Bears watched their lead evaporate in a flurry of fourth-quarter scores. Yet, hope flickered back to life with 2:02 on the clock. Young QB sensation Caleb Williams hit Rome Odunze for a touchdown, slicing the deficit to 27-24. Soldier Field erupted. Then, special teams coordinator Ben Johnson sent out his kicker, Cairo Santos, with a specific, fateful instruction.

As Johnson later confirmed, “Yeah the intent was for the ball to go out in the end zone.” He laid out the strategy: “We felt like if we kicked it out the end zone and got the 3, that we got we’d get the ball back with around 56 seconds.” It was a plan rooted in the league’s new “dynamic kickoff” rule, where a touchback now spots the ball at the 35-yard line. But they failed to account for the clock, the opponent’s intelligence, and the unforgiving nature of a ball that doesn’t do what it’s told.

Santos’s boot didn’t sail deep into the promised land. It landed a mere five yards into the end zone. Hence, Johnson subtly hinted at Santos’ mistake in the game. Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell, understanding the situation perfectly, waved off the touchback. Ty Chandler sprinted it out, the clock ticking past the two-minute warning—a critical threshold the Bears desperately needed to preserve.

Ben Johnson confirms that he told Cairo Santos to kick the ball through the end zone.

Get Cairo Santos off my team immediately. pic.twitter.com/mggzR22CW9

— Caleb Williams Fan Club (@CalebFC18) September 9, 2025

That single return eviscerated Chicago’s timeout advantage and chewed up precious seconds. As noted by Bears reporter Kevin Fishbain, the plan completely unraveled: “He estimated a three-and-out would’ve given them 56 seconds, but they lost the two-minute warning and got it back with 9 seconds left.” The cruel geometry of a football field had never felt so vast.

This is a developing story….

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