Miami Dolphins' Jason Sanders' season-long field goal turns boos into cheers during Raiders win

MIAMI GARDENS — Lining up for his longest field-goal attempt of the season during Sunday’s 20-13 win against the Raiders, Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders sent the ball sailing through the uprights, turning boos into cheers at Hard Rock Stadium.

Lauded as comfortable home favorites, Miami’s fans might not have expected their high-flying Dolphins to rely on the mental steel of a kicker in a scrappy, one-score game against Las Vegas.

But Sanders, who had missed from 50 yards the first time his number was called Sunday, responded to the pressure by hitting two straight kicks in the third quarter – converting the latter from a season-high 51 yards out.

“It was good to hit two after missing one,” Sanders said. “My guys are doing a good job for me.”

Boos, from the home crowd?

With coach Mike McDaniel having seasoned today’s Dolphins fans with aggression on fourth down across midfield, long snapper Blake Ferguson called the surprising reaction less a reflection of Sanders’ earlier miss and more a knee-jerk reaction to settling for three points.

“I don’t know how many times we go for it on fourth and short, but it is very frequently,” Ferguson said. “So, I think a lot of the fans were expecting us to do that. Sending the field-goal unit, we go up a touchdown, which was ultimately the difference in the game.”

Sanders, who kicked Miami into the postseason last year, has struggled from beyond 50 yards in recent years. He entered Sunday’s game having converted just four of 13 kicks attempted from 50-plus in the last three seasons.

When he missed from 50 once more against the Raiders, those woes seemed to be continuing. But while the touchdown-hungry crowd’s reaction might’ve initially seemed like lack of confidence, Sanders remained unshaken.

“I think you saw me respond well with the 51,” the six-year veteran kicker said. “The ball’s coming off good, so I’ve just got to keep getting it done.”

Dolphins' long snapper Blake Ferguson confident in Sanders

That confidence is echoed – promoted even more enthusiastically – by Ferguson, speaking for a Dolphins special teams unit that remains committed to each other in the midst of a successful season.

“That was huge,” Ferguson said of Sanders connecting on the long try. “Obviously, every time we go out there we've got confidence in each other. At the end of the day, we’re a unit and we’ve got to help each other out. It was great to see Jason bounce back. We never lost confidence in him, and we never will.”

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In the context of the game, Sanders’ kicks gave Miami much-needed cushion. The Raiders’ last three possessions all ended inside the Miami 40-yard line. Down by seven, Las Vegas went for it on fourth down multiple times, looking for the tying score that would elude the Raiders.

The last of those drives ended on an end-zone interception by Jalen Ramsey, who spearheaded a vicious effort by the Dolphins defense. But if the drive ends differently, if the world of ‘what-ifs’ takes us another route, Sanders was ready once more.

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“Obviously, you don’t want them to score, but I was waiting for something to happen,” Sanders said. “I was starting to get ready. If that situation was going to come, I’m staying ready no matter what.”

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins' Jason Sanders hits season-long field goal against Raiders