When Jason Sanders stepped up in the final play of the Week 16 clash against the Raiders in 2020, he had the chance to kick for the win.

It wasn’t a routine kick for Sanders. With the Dolphins losing 25-23, a lot was riding on the 44-yard attempt.

Miami was looking to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season. If Sanders missed the kick, then Miami’s hopes would have been all but over.

Converting the field goal with just seconds remaining would mean that the Dolphins would make the postseason provided they secure a final day win against the Buffalo Bills. They could also rely on a loss for one of the Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, or Baltimore Ravens.

Sanders converted the kick under huge pressure, but sadly the Dolphins failed to make the playoffs. However, the Dolphins kicker has proved to be one of the league’s most reliable kickers.

Here’s the story of how Jason Sanders quietly became one of the NFL’s best kickers.

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Time In College And The NFL Draft

Sanders spent four seasons in college with New Mexico. He made 25 out of his 35 field goal attempts, with 111 out of the 112 extra points converted.

This gave him an overall field goal percentage of 71.4%. He also had an extra point percentage of 99.1%.

Kickers rarely get drafted high, and Sanders was no exception. He was taken by the Dolphins 229th overall in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Cody Parkey departed in Free Agency in 2018, with the Dolphins looking for a new kicker. Sanders immediately started week one, playing in the longest game in NFL history during the 27-20 win against the Tennessee Titans. Sanders went 3-3 on PAT’s and 2-2 on field goals.

Consistency and Reliability

These are two qualities that have stuck with Sanders throughout his first three seasons in the NFL with Miami.

His first season ended with 18 of his 20 field goals being converted. Only one of his 36 extra points was missed.

Sanders missed just one PAT in 2019, with seven missed field goals.

2020 saw Sanders’ best season in a Dolphins jersey. He converted 100% of his 36 extra-point attempts and successfully kicked 36 of his 39 field goal attempts.

Sanders became someone Dolphins fans could rely on in 2020, particularly from a distance. He only attempted one field goal from 50 yards or more in 2018 and 5 in 2019. Last season, Sanders attempted 9 field goals from 50+ yards and successfully converted 8.

As we saw with recovering his onside kick in 2019 and the aforementioned Raiders field goal in 2019, Sanders is a beacon of reliability and consistency.

Scoring A Touchdown

Sanders is also well known for catching a touchdown pass in 2019 during a week 13 home game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The special teams have been great under head coach Brian Flores and special teams coordinator Danny Crossman, the assistant head coach.

With less than five minutes left on the game clock and the Dolphins 13-7 down on 4th and Goal, Miami went for a play that no one expected. After a short scramble, punter Matt Haack caught the snap and tossed the ball to Sanders in the end zone.

Sanders became the first placekicker to catch a touchdown since Jim Turner in October 1977. This play also won him and Haack the award for ‘Play of the Year’ in the annual NFL Honors.

Kickers such as Harrison Butker, Younghoe Koo, Justin Tucker, and Greg Zuerlein are always mentioned as some of the league’s best kickers. In 2020, Sanders established himself in that conversation.