The Bears’ season came down to an unlikely end after their kicker, Cody Parkey, missed the game-winning field goal. Fans with shattered hearts took to social media in order to express their anguish.

On Instagram and Twitter, the kick took over the content of sports pages. Responses varying from sympathy to hatred all pointed at Parkey.

Vernon Hills students in particular had opinions on the play, with many students discussing the topic at school subsequent to the Bears’ loss.

In a TSP survey of 118 students, 38.9 percent of people said it was his fault, 31.9 percent of people said it wasn’t his fault, and 29.2 percent of people responded that they are unsure.

“I thought it was going to go in, since he made the first kick before the time out,” Emily Singer (11) mentioned.

Max Himel (11) believed the improbable would not happen again after Parkey hit the field goal post 11 times this season, including 4 times in one game against the Lions. However, the odds of him losing the game by hitting the field goal post haunted viewers such as Himel.

“The thought of him hitting the post lingered in the back of my mind before the kick, but I never thought he would actually hit it again,” Himel said.

As the kick took off, Singer was confident after watching Cody Parkey nail the first kick after the Eagles’ head coach, Doug Pederson, called a time out to “ice the kicker.” The old-school strategy to call a timeout in attempt to get the kicker to overthink the next play finally worked.

The TSP survey also asked if the ball was tipped, potentially altering the trajectory of the kick, causing a miss. The responses to the survey favored Parkey, with 65.1 percent of respondents saying the kick was tipped.

The survey also asked if Parkey should be let off the hook, or if he deserves consequences for the “double doink.” 40.4 percent of students said he deserves to be released, while 30.3 percent said he should stay, and 29.3 percent were unsure.

Although the Chicago Bears had their first good season in what seems like forever, students seem to be focusing more on the ending of the season instead of the major steps the team has taken in the last year.

This year, the Bears finished first in their division with a 12-4 record; last year, they finished last in their division with a 5-11 record.

Some students are looking past the kick and have started focusing on next year’s season. Confidence is through the roof among those that have high hopes for Mitch Trubisky and the young Bears team.

“The Bears will win the Superbowl next year, no doubt,” David Igolnikov (11) said.

Some students are excited for potential individual player achievements next year.

“Tarik Cohen will go off next year — mark my words,” Ryan Mann (10) said.