Sanders Enters Rarified Air
Any question left about what kind of incredible season Miami Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders is having?
Sanders was named Friday as the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month, making it back-to-back awards for the third-year kicker.
How special is that? The last time any player around the league earned consecutive AFC Special Teams Player of the Month awards was 2003 when it was done three straight times by Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt.
Since the AFC monthly awards began in 1986 (special teams started in 1993), the only Dolphins player to win in consecutive months was Jason Taylor, who was the AFC Defensive Player of the Month in October and November of 2002.
In November, Sanders made 10 of 11 field goal attempts, with six of his successful kicks coming from 50 yards or more. Sanders became the first kicker in NFL history with six field goals of 50 yards or longer in one month.
Sanders spoke to the media this week via Zoom and talked about the truly memorable season he's in the process of putting together.
"I’m just happy with where I’m at right now," Sanders said. "I’ve been kicking the ball really well and I’m just excited to see where it’s going to go, so I’ve got four or five more weeks to just focus on one game at a time.”
Sanders is 24-for-25 on the season, the only miss coming in the 29-21 victory against the Los Angeles Chargers when he pushed a 47-yard attempt wide right.
He's on track to break the franchise single-season record for field goal accuracy set by Jay Feely in 2007 and matched by Cody Parkey in 2017 when each went 21-for-23.
For those wondering about the Dolphins record for most field goals in a season, that one is going to be tough to reach for Sanders because he would need 15 over the final five games to tie Olindo Mare's 39 field goals in 1999.
Sanders won AFC Special Teams Player of Month award for October when he made 11 of 11 field goal attempts, including five in back-to-back games against Seattle and San Francisco.
Even though he's not leading the Pro Bowl fan voting at his position, Sanders' stats will give him a strong chance of earning the vote of players and coaches.
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