The Chicago Bears managed to squeeze out a 25-25 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 4, thanks to a blocked field-goal attempt in the final minute.
Turns out, Bears cornerback Josh Blackwell — the man who made the pivotal block — had some intel on the snapping tendencies of the Raiders before the attempted kick.
With 38 seconds left in regulation, Blackwell ripped off the left edge and got a hand on Daniel Carlson’s 54-yard field goal attempt to preserve the Bears‘ 25-24 win over the Raiders. Blackwell explained in the aftermath that an insight from Bears long snapper Scott Daly helped him find his window of opportunity to make the game-saving play.
Throughout the week, Scott Daly has given us a little tip with the snapper,” Blackwell told Marquee Sports Network’s Jeff Joniak in the postgame. “He would move the ball right before he would snap it, and the first two we got really good jobs. I’m like, ‘I’m close. I’m going to get one.’ HT [Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower] was like, ‘We’ve got to get this kick blocked,’ and I got a good jump.”
Bears’ Blocked Kick Saved a Poor Special-Teams Day
Blackwell’s savvy play against the Raiders‘ attempted go-ahead field goal saved the day for the Bears and helped them win consecutive games for the first time since last year. His heroics also helped cover up what was otherwise a poor day for the special teams.
The Bears struggled with their kickoff coverage throughout Sunday’s win. Raiders kick returners Dylan Laube and Raheem Mostert each had multiple returns of more than 30 yards, though a holding penalty negated Mostert’s 33-yard return before halftime.
Notably, Laube’s biggest return of the night — a 38-yarder to the Raiders‘ 42-yard line — was instrumental in setting up the Raiders for their go-ahead field goal attempt in the final minute of the game. Had Blackwell not blocked the kick, the coverage unit would have shouldered a chunk of the blame for failing to contain them in a critical moment.
There was also the matter of veteran kicker Cairo Santos, who received one of the game balls in the postgame for making all four of his field goals and his only extra-point try.
After a sack knocked the Bears back to 4th-and-26 from the Raiders‘ 40-yard line early in the second quarter, the Bears elected to punt instead of having Santos attempt a 57-yard field goal, suggesting the staff does not trust his leg to convert from long distances.
That’s not ideal in an NFL where kickers are regularly asked to boot 50-plus yarders.
Josh Blackwell’s Block Reinforces Value of Extension
Blackwell’s game-winning blocked kick also reinforced something else about the young cornerback: that the Bears made the right call signing him to an extension in March.
Before the start of 2025 free agency, the Bears inked a two-year contract extension that is worth up to $6 million, making him the highest-paid core special teams player in the league. He finished with the third-most special teams tackles (7) for the Bears in 2024.
While Blackwell also plays a role on defense as one of the backup nickel cornerbacks behind starter Kyler Gordon, the Bears clearly retained Blackwell for his special teams value, especially after first-year head coach Ben Johnson decided to keep Hightower on his staff as his special teams coordinator — a role he has held in Chicago since 2022.
Money well spent for the Bears, it seems.
Bears CB Shares Intel on Raiders That Led to Pivotal Blocked Kick