Chicago Bears kicker Eddy Pineiro was emotional after hitting the game-winning field goal against the Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon.
Pineiro drilled a 53-yard field goal to complete the come from behind win for the Bears, and he finished the game going 3-3.
“It felt different. This was an emotional kick,” Pineiro said afterwards via ESPN. “With everything I've been through. The whole kicking situation. The Augusta silence. The media, everybody piling on.”
Pineiro was in a battle all offseason to win the Bears kicking job, and it seemed coming into the season no one was really confident he was the answer. After hitting his only field goal attempt against the Packers, he made a statement with his play on Sunday.
“Whenever you have a new guy come in, you want to see if that particular player has the ‘dawg' in him — meaning that raw, doesn't care, just going to go in there and compete persona,” Bears cornerback Prince Amukamara said. “All throughout training camp, OTAs, we've just seen that in Eddy. He's always had ice in his veins. When he missed one, he was never shaken over it.”
Coach Matt Nagy has also been impressed with Pineiro because he has been willing to learn, but he is also confident in his play and it shows on the field.
With a kicker, all it takes is a couple of misses to really get into his head and ruin a career, but it sure looks like the Bears have found a long-term option at kicker.
Follow Us
Subscribe