The Miami Dolphins narrowly defeated the Dallas Cowboys on Christmas Eve, and it was in large part due to a phenomenal kicking performance from Jason Sanders, who went 5 for 5 on field goals. Sanders has seen his share of criticism over the past few seasons when he hasn’t lived up to expectations, but tonight, he exceeded expectations and came through for the Dolphins in a huge game.
Fans have had their complaints about Sanders over the years (myself included), but after a night like he had tonight, our praise for Sanders should be as loud as our criticism of him has been. Aside from the game-winning field goal, Sanders kicked a career-long 57-yard field goal, set a franchise record with three 50+-yard field goals made, and accounted for 16 points as he was a perfect 6/6 on kicks tonight.
The Dolphins’ offense tonight moved the ball tremendously against one of the league’s best defenses in Dallas but struggled to finish drives and really move the ball after crossing midfield. Thankfully, Sanders was able to step up in some key spots and knock down field goals, which is crucial for this team and makes it that much more dangerous. If Sanders is on this Dolphins offense, it will become even harder to defend because the slightest mistake on defense could lead to easy points for the Dolphins. It also adds a little peace of mind during the two-minute drill, knowing you can rely on your kicker to make a 50+ yard field goal if needed.
On a night where many fans expected Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, or Jalen Ramsey to be the hero, it ended up being Jason Sanders, who stepped up as the Dolphins MVP. Hopefully, it’s a sign of things to come from the Dolphins kicker because the Dolphins will need it if they want to win the Super Bowl.
