The biggest concern heading into the Bears’ season opener last Thursday was whether Eddy Pineiro could provide consistency at the kicker position.
It’s safe to say that kicker is no longer the biggest concern, after the offense stumbled on a national stage against the Packers.
The Bears’ only points in the Week 1 loss was Pineiro’s 38-yard field goal in the first quarter, which makes him the team’s leading scorer heading into Week 2.
“It doesn’t feel good,” Pineiro said Thursday. “We want to score touchdowns.”
Obviously the best case scenario would be Pineiro booting extra points rather than long field goals. Looking back at the Week 1 loss, there were questions whether Matt Nagy and Chris Tabor didn’t trust Piniero enough.
Staring down 4th-and-10 at Green Bay’s 33-yard line, Nagy opted for his offense to go for it rather than trust Pineiro to kick what would’ve been a 51-yard field goal.
While it’ll surely take time for the Bears to trust Pineiro, he did his job against the Packers. Pineiro ultimately won the Bears kicker competition and is now settling into his role, which isn’t without its own pressure.
“For kickers, you’re always gonna feel pressure… [but] I feel like a lot has calmed down,” he said.
As the Bears take to Denver for what’s become a pivotal Week 2 contest, Pineiro is feeling more excitement and less pressure at the opportunity to kick in the mile-high altitude.
“I heard the ball flies up there, so it should be fun.”
