Cody Parkey will kick at Soldier Field Wednesday night

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Cody Parkey downplayed the significance of going to practice kicking at Soldier Field Wednesday night, saying he’s heading there to “check all my boxes” and that “it can’t hurt.”

But Parkey’s trip from Halas Hall to the lakefront is noteworthy in the aftermath of the Bears’ kicker missing four PAT/field goal attempts, all of which went off an upright, in Sunday’s 34-22 win over the Detroit Lions. It’ll result in a long day for Parkey, who estimated he’d get back to Halas Hall around 11 p.m. Wednesday night. 

“As a kicker, this is my fifth season doing this, I’ve had highs, I’ve had lows,” Parkey said. “So unfortunately it comes with the territory sometimes. I don’t get down on myself, I know I’m a great kicker. I’m just gonna go out there Sunday and try my best.”

Parkey hasn’t got caught up in the reaction to his historically-bad game, staying off social media and saying he couldn’t care less about ignominiously making a Jimmy Fallon monologue this week. 

“I go home to my wife and my dog, and they don’t really care if I make field goals or not,” Parkey said. “So I find peace in that. I talk to my family, stuff like that. But I don’t beat myself up, I don’t go on social media, I don’t do any of that. I could care less about what anyone thinks of me other than people in this locker room.”

Logistically, getting to Soldier Field from Halas Hall can be an traffic-fueled annoyance, but it’s one the Bears felt was important enough to go ahead and do. Former Bears kickers Robbie Gould and Kevin Butler used to practice kicking at Soldier Field during the week, for what it’s worth. 

The Bears will need Parkey to be better on Sunday night against the Minnesota Vikings, in what could be a close, critical game for control of the NFC North. But Parkey won’t change his mental approach for that night, even if his midweek work is now switched up a bit. 

“Same as last week, same as the week before,” Parkey said. “I just try to go out there and make my kicks.”

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