Cody Parkey to Kick Extra Practice FGs at Soldier Field After Week 10 Struggles

Many teams try to practice how they play, but Chicago Bears kicker Cody Parkey will attempt to turn things around by practicing where he plays.

According to Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com, Parkey will kick at Soldier Field on Wednesday instead of the Bears' practice facility that is 35 miles away. Parkey said he is doing so in an effort to "do everything I possibly can to make kicks" after he missed two extra points and two field goals during Sunday's win over the Detroit Lions.

He hit the uprights on all four kicks and discussed his struggles, saying, "As a kicker, this is my fifth season doing this, I've had highs, I've had lows. 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 going to go out there Sunday and try my best."

Parkey is just 13-of-18 on field goals this season, and the 72.2 conversion percentage would be the lowest of his career and a far cry from the 91.3 percent he drilled last year as a member of the Miami Dolphins.

He is a mere 5-of-8 from 40 to 49 yards after he made six of his seven attempts from that distance in 2017.

There is something to be said about the difficulty of kicking in the unpredictable weather of the Windy City, especially with Soldier Field located next to Lake Michigan. However, Dickerson noted Robbie Gould used to regularly practice at the Bears' home stadium during the regular season.

Gould played for the Bears from 2005 through 2015 and converted 85.4 percent of his field goals and helped lead the team to the playoffs three times during his tenure.

Chicago is in position to challenge for the playoffs again considering it is sitting atop the NFC North at 6-3. It hosts the 5-3-1 Minnesota Vikings in a critical divisional showdown this coming Sunday and will likely need Parkey to be more effective than he was against the last-place Lions.