The margin for error in football games is quite small — the difference between a win and a loss might be something as little as a single penalty, catch or, as was the case for the Dolphins this past weekend, a kick. The Dolphins’ offense fell stagnant in the second half of their 16-12 win over the Indianapolis Colts, it was kicker Jason Sanders who elevated the offense with two 48-yard kicks in the 4th quarter to bail out the Dolphins and keep the score at a place where the Colts needed to go for a touchdown in the final possession.
Conversely, Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri provided the Colts with a costly miss of an extra point — which ended up being the difference in Indianapolis going for it on 4th and 10 with just second left deep in Dolphins territory versus being able to kick a field goal for a tie game.
Sanders has been rewarded for his big kicking performance and his role in Miami’s win — he’s been named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 10!
The pair of 48-yard kicks were notable for Sanders, mainly because he’s struggled greatly from outside of 40-yards thus far this season. Sanders entered the 4th quarter just 2 of 6 from 40+ yards on the year — before a pair of kicks that split the uprights down the middle to help Miami lock in the win. Sanders, who was a 2018 draft selection for the Dolphins, will look to build on the momentum of making two big kicks late in the game against Indy and start hitting his long shots with more consistency.
