Eddy Pineiro delivered his signature moment with the Chicago Bears in Denver. A 53-yard field goal to win the game with one second left. There was no possible way he could top that. Well maybe not in terms of pure drama, but he found a way to wiggle a little further into the hearts of fans with what he put himself through on Monday night against the Redskins. It started a few days prior when the kicker popped up on the Bears’ injury report.
Head coach Matt Nagy revealed that he suffered an incident of some kind during a weight room session. He’d hurt his knee and was questionable for the game. People were encouraged though when Pineiro managed to make the trip to Washington. A favorable sign he might play. He went through warmups and stretches without a sign of something being overly wrong. However, as the game drew closer people began to notice him limping.
Clearly the knee was bothering him. The Bears made the decision to take him off kickoff duty and relegate him to shorter field goal attempts if possible. Whatever happened to him must’ve been painful. It wasn’t until after the game that the kicker revealed he’d been dealing with a pinched nerve in the knee. Anybody who’s had these knows they are not comfortable.
Eddy Pineiro delivered for his team when it mattered
Knowing this, it makes his performance in the game that much more admirable. Pineiro missed a 44-yard field goal, but he was perfect on four extra point attempts and delivered the decisive blow late in the 4th quarter with a 38-yard field goal to put the Bears ahead by 16. That kick pretty much took the wind out of the Redskins’ sails and the defense finished things off moments later.
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Pineiro could’ve easily told the team he’d prefer to sit the game out. People would’ve understood. Knee injuries hurt and it can be especially tough on kickers. Instead, the kid gutted it out for his team and did the job just fine. That is the sort of thing that true football players do. Play through the pain to get a win. If people weren’t sold on Pineiro was the Bears’ guy before, they should be after learning this. He is a tough young man.
