Miami Dolphins Kicker Jason Sanders Earns Second AFC Monthly Award

Jason Sanders may not have been selected to the AFC Pro Bowl roster, but he had a remarkable 2024 season nonetheless, the latest evidence coming Thursday.

On this day, Sanders was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for December and January, winning the award for the second consecutive month.

It’s the second time Sanders has pulled off this double, the first coming in 2020 when he was named the AP All-Pro kicker. Sanders is one of only seven players in NFL history, and one of four in the AFC, to earn the Special Teams Player of the Month award at least five times in his career.

Sanders is the fourth player in NFL history to earn the Special Teams Player of the Month award in back-to-back occasions within the same season, and the only one to do so twice in his career. He is also one of two players in Dolphins history to earn Player of the Month honors consecutively, joining defensive end Jason Taylor, who won it in October and November 2002, and the only player to win it in back-to-back months on two occasions.

Sanders was a perfect 15-of-15 field goals, including five from 50-plus yards. His 15 field goals, and his five from 50-plus yards, were both the most in the NFL in that span.

Sanders finished the season by making his final 27 field goal attempts, breaking his own franchise record of 22. It’s also the longest active streak in the NFL. The last time Sanders missed a field goal was in Week 7 against the Indianapolis Colts.

His Week 16 performance against the 49ers made him the only AFC kicker, and one of two in the NFL, to make five field goals in a game across December and January. He was the only kicker in the NFL to make a field goal in every game in the 2024 regular season.

Sanders finished the 2024 season with 37-of-41 field goals made (90.2 pct.) while converting 26-of-28 extra point attempts (92.9 pct.) for a total of 137 points scored. His 37 field goals ranked fourth in the NFL and are the second-most in franchise history. Meanwhile, his 137 points ranked eighth in the league this year and third in Dolphins history.

Sanders’ field goal percentage was fifth-best among NFL kickers who made at least 30 kicks. AFC Pro Bowl kicker Chris Boswell was at .932 after making 41 of 44 attempts.

This wasn’t Sanders’ first brilliant season. When he was named All-Pro in 2020, he was 36-for-39 on field goals (.923 percent) and a perfect 36-for-36 on extra points.

Out of Sanders’ 37 field goals made, 12 were from 50-plus yards, the most in a single season in franchise history and the fourth-most in the NFL this year. Sanders has kicked nine-consecutive field goals from 50-plus yards, which is the longest active streak in the NFL and second longest in Dolphins history to his own record of 10-straight kicks across 2019 and 2020.

The highlight of Sanders’ December/January probably came in Week 16 against the San Francisco 49ers. He was named as the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in the 29-17 victory after he went 5-for-5 on field goal attempts, with a long of 54 yards. He accounted for 17 points in the game, the highest total for any NFL kicker in Week 16.

That was one of four Player of the Week awards for the Dolphins this season, with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa earning AFC Offensive Player of the Week against New England in Week 12, defensive tackle Zach Sieler notching AFC Defensive Player of the Week against the N.Y. Jets in Week 14, and linebacker Tyrel Dodson earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his play against the Cleveland Browns in Week 17.