Miami Dolphins second year kicker Jason Sanders has had quite a December. One week after Sanders scored 6 points via a touchdown reception in the Dolphins 37-31 upset win over the Philadelphia Eagles, Sanders once again commanded the headlines with his performance on the field. This time around? Sanders was responsible for every single one of the Dolphins’ 21 points in a 22-21 heartbreaking loss to the New York Jets.
Sanders finished the day 7 of 8 on field goal attempts, setting a team record for the most field goals kicked in a single game. Former Dolphins standout Olindo Mare owned the previous team record with 6. Mare’s performance in 1999 eventually led to him leading the league in kicks made (39) and attempted (46) that season en route to being named 1st-team All-Pro.
Sanders’ lone miss on the day against the Jets ended up being the difference in the football game, but it shouldn’t be held against Sanders that the kick was pushed to the right. Holder Matt Haack had issues with the snap and got the ball down late on Sanders’ missed kick, throwing off the timing and execution of the play.
In all, Sanders is proving to be quite the asset for the Dolphins just one year after they made him a 7th-round draft selection. He’s now tied his career best in field goals in a season with 18 on the year and is currently booting 83.7% of his career 43 kicks through the uprights.
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