Bears' Cody Parkey to get extra practice at Soldier Field after misses

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears kicker Cody Parkey will spend part of his Wednesday evening practicing at Soldier Field, where the veteran missed four kicks off the uprights in last Sunday's victory against the Detroit Lions.

Parkey confirmed to reporters that he will make the 35-mile trek from the team's suburban practice facility to the downtown stadium in order to "do everything I possibly can to make kicks."

"I guess just check all the boxes you can, right?" Parkey said. "I mean, it can't hurt."

The two most successful kickers in Bears history, Kevin Butler and Robbie Gould, used to routinely travel to Soldier Field during the regular season to practice kicking in the Chicago lakefront's unpredictable winds.

The Bears (6-3) host the Minnesota Vikings (5-3-1) in a key division game Sunday 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 going to go out there Sunday and try my best."

Parkey misfired on two field goals and two extra points Sunday. He has failed to convert on five field goals in nine games for the Bears, and he's just 5-of-8 on attempts between 40-49 yards.

Parkey was a pricey offseason pickup for the Bears. Formerly a member of the Eagles, Browns and Dolphins, Parkey signed a four-year, free-agent contract with Chicago that included $9 million in guaranteed money. He will take home $5.5 million in 2018, and his $2.75 million base salary for next season is fully guaranteed.

Earlier this season, thePackers' Mason Crosbybecame the first kicker to miss four field goals and an extra point in a game since 1997. Crosby went on to win NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors the week after his disastrous performance.

"Mason Crosby is a great kicker, and it was really awesome [the way he bounced back]," Parkey said. "Hopefully I can go out and do the same thing."