On an otherwise nondescript autumn afternoon in the Meadowlands, the woebegone Miami Dolphins and New York Jets made history.
In New York's 22-21 victory, the AFC East rivals combined for 10 field goals made, a new single-game NFL record, according to NFL Research.
The previous high was nine, a feat that had been completed nine times previously. The kick that set the mark was the one that sent New York home winners: Sam Ficken's game-winning 44-yard field goal at the death.
Ficken hit three field goals on the day (44, 42, 37), including two in the fourth quarter. But the real star of Sunday's showdown was Dolphins booter Jason Sanders.
The reigning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week, who last week caught a touchdown pass, was responsible for all of Miami's points on Sunday, as the Fins could not find the end zone. Sanders hit seven of eight field-goal attempts (53, 47, 37, 37, 31, 28, 25, 22, in descending order of distance), and at least one in each quarter.
Sanders' seven field goals made are just one short of the record set by former Titans kicker Rob Bironas (eight) against the Texans in 2007. The Dolphins kicker's one miss came on a 34-yard attempts midway through the third quarter. Had he made the kick, Sanders would've tied the record and Miami might've been victors on Sunday.
