Laces Out, Andrew Franks

I pry my face from my palm after Damien Williams inexplicably doesn’t go out of bounds, to see the field goal unit trudging out for a 55-yard field goal attempt with time running down.

Both kickers had missed kicks earlier in the game. Buffalo had just scored 17 straight points to take a 3 point lead. No big deal, our kicker has only attempted 3 50+ yard field goals in his NFL career to this point - [he made 1 of those 3 kicks]. We got this!

Andrew Franks steps out into mildly blustery conditions for the most important kick of his career, with Dolphins Nation under bated breath. Make the kick and the Playoffs are still within our grasp; miss the kick and our Playoff chances are dangling off a cliff. As the ball sailed low, it felt like an eternity between the ball’s final trajectory and the signaling by the referees.

When they raised their arms up in the air, it was worth the wait.

Jay Ajayi deserves a ton of credit for contributing to this victory, as does the timely plays throughout the game by a variety of other Dolphins players. To sneak out of Orchard Park with a W made this kick all the more memorable.

A hearty congratulations to Andrew Franks for making the most important kick the Dolphins have had in a long time. Andrew Franks’ ice water-to-vein ratio had not been properly measured until 6 seconds left in the 4th quarter Saturday evening, but these are the types of kicks that endear you to a fan base, and highlight perhaps the most important trait in a kicker: making high-pressure situations your toy.

Let’s hope the legend of Andrew Franks continues to grow.