It seemed the only way the Chicago Bears were going to get out of the shadow of Cody Parkey was if they somehow won an improbable game thanks to their kicker. Most weren’t all that confident in newcomer Eddy Pineiro. The Bears traded for him back in July prior to training camp from the Oakland Raiders. History showed him to be a highly accurate kicker out of Florida with a strong leg. He’d be penciled in as the Raiders’ starter before a practice injury ended his year.
Daniel Carlson stepped into that void and pretty much stole the job out from under him. Left in limbo, the Bears gave him a reprieve. He had no idea what was in store for him when he arrived in Bourbonnais. Matt Nagy and his coaching staff put him and fellow incumbent Elliott Fry through the ringer. They used all sorts of tactics to test their mental fortitude from “Augusta Silence” moments to narrowing the uprights.
Despite some setbacks in the preseason, Pineiro did enough to convince them he deserves a chance. He admitted the entire process had been exhausting and was just grateful for the opportunity. After a field goal in the opener against Green Bay, the time came for the Bears to really test their young kicker in a nail-biter against the Broncos. After connecting on two previous field goals earlier in the game, it came down to a 53-yard attempt with one second left.
NFL Films captured the incredible moment with their typically gorgeous camera work.
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Eddy Pineiro made believers out of many people
That one kick really felt like it changed so much. A team that had lived in the shadow of Parkey’s miss for months could suddenly stand tall again. They realized their nightmare was over. They had a kicker they could trust now. If they do their jobs, it would be okay. It is a great story of personal redemption as well. Pineiro lost his first NFL opportunity under the worst sort of circumstances. No doubt he feared it might be a long time before he secured another one.
Then the Bears came calling. Believing in himself and what he could do, he battled hard for the spot, earned it, and then did what the team pays him to do. There is no going back now. Pineiro is Chicago’s kicker.
