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Jason Sanders’ Winning Kicks for the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders reflects on his initial game-winning kick, a 53-yarder against Tulsa in his senior season at New Mexico in 2017.
In his most recent game, Sanders secured a 22-20 victory over the Dallas Cowboys with a 29-yard field goal as time ran out, earning the Dolphins a playoff spot for the second straight year.
Notably, Sanders also delivered a 50-yard field goal in 2022 to defeat the New York Jets, propelling Miami into the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Despite a previous 6-of-16 record on kicks over 50 yards, Sanders impressively nailed 57, 54, and 52-yard attempts in a flawless 5-for-5 performance.
“I believe that not every year can be the best year, so I think I’m still performing well on the field,” said Sanders. He has made 22 out of 26 field goal attempts this season. “I’m currently at the right place where I need to be, even though there were a couple of blocks here and there. I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.”
Miami Dolphins’ First Victory of the Season Against Winning Team
Miami Dolphins secured their first victory of the season against a team with a winning record. This narrative had been circulating in the Dolphins’ locker room. Head coach Mike McDaniel acknowledged concerns about the team’s record against winning opponents. He consistently urged his players to alter this perception.
Proudly, the second-year coach commended his team’s response to the criticism they faced.
“When social media became popular, it became difficult to ignore the noise. You couldn’t help but hear it,” he said. “Winning was a huge achievement for the team because they knew they were capable of it. So when it finally happened, it was very satisfying.”
Tua Tagovailoa, the quarterback for the Dolphins, threw for 293 yards and one touchdown. Despite leading in the second half, the Dolphins had a hard time pulling away.
Their only touchdown of the night came from Tagovailoa’s pass to Raheem Mostert at the end of the second quarter. In the third quarter, both teams scored field goals. Dallas then scored 10 consecutive points, taking a 20-19 lead with just over three minutes left in the game.
Tagovailoa guided a 12-play, 64-yard drive for Sanders’ game-winning field goal. He completed 4 of 5 passes for 31 yards in the final drive. Tagovailoa took a knee with 16 seconds left, not watching Sanders’ kick but confident it was good.
Dolphins aim for AFC’s top seed and division championship
“I don’t recall watching when Jason scored the goal. I believe I just walked onto the field with my hands raised,” he said. “I didn’t even look at it. However, when we took the final knee, it was an amazing moment.
I think of the amount of hard work that it takes to play a game week in and week out, to prepare for a tough team on Sunday. Every team is good, and to pull off a hard-fought victory like that makes it all worth it.”
With two weeks left in the regular season, the Dolphins are just half a game behind the Baltimore Ravens for the AFC’s top seed. To secure the conference’s top seed, Miami needs victories against the Ravens and Buffalo Bills in its final two games.
The Dolphins hold a significant two-game lead over the Bills in the AFC East. A win next week against Baltimore would clinch their first division championship since 2008.
Putting an end to their losing streak against winning teams, linebacker Bradley Chubb expressed relief in the locker room after the game. He repeatedly asked, “who can’t?” Winning the division is the primary goal for Miami at the moment.
Post-game interview with Chubb
“It’s cool, man. It’s cool. But we’re not done yet. We’re not even close to where we want to be,” said Chubb. “There were a lot of plays that we left out there and championship teams don’t make that mistake. It’s finally good to get over that hump and change the narrative to be what we want it to be.
It’s been great to see our team come together and not worry about the outsiders or naysayers. We prepare like we’re a championship team every week.
I got emotional with the ‘who can’t’ because we put our heart and soul into this. For someone to tell us we can’t do it, we want to go out there and prove them wrong every time.”
My name is Krishanu Das the founder of the Sports Dribble.
I am Accountant by profession but a Sports Blogger by passion.
I am passionate about sharing my all knowledge and experiences of sports, with my readers and every sports enthusiast.
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