Watch: Jets pull off fake punt for longest play of game vs. Bills

New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh on the sidelines in the first quarter game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Jets pull off fake punt for their longest play of the game vs. Bills

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated Nov 19, 2023 6:19 PM ET

The New York Jets were having difficulty moving the ball in the first half of their matchup Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.

So head coach Robert Saleh got creative.

On a fourth-and-2 from their own 24-yard line, the Jets pulled off a fake punt in which punter Thomas Morstead lofted a pass over the top of the defense and hit cornerback Brandin Echols in stride for an 18-yard gain and kept New York’s drive alive.

Thomas Morstead throwing dimes!

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Originally, the play went for a gain of 44 yards, but video replay showed Echols actually stepped out of bounds at New York’s 41 and not Buffalo’s 32.

It was the first time the Jets attempted a pass on a punt fake this season, and Morstead joined receiver Garrett Wilson as the second non-quarterback to attempt a pass for New York this season.

Morstead’s pass wasn’t the only time the Jets went for it on fourth down on the drive either.

Three plays later, quarterback Zach Wilson connected with running back Breece Hall on a fourth-and-2 screen play that went for 15 yards and got the Jets into Bills territory for the first time in the first two quarters.

Michael Gallagher

Michael Gallagher is a longtime sports journalist based out of Nashville with a decade of experience covering college football, mixed martial arts and prep sports plus the NFL and NHL — specifically the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators. He’s covered several notable sporting events including an AFC Championship game, a Stanley Cup Final, an NHL All-Star Game and an NHL Stadium Series. Some of his past bylines can be found at the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, The Hockey News and Fox Sports Knoxville

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