You don’t see fake punts on fourth-and-11 very often, especially when a team is deep in its own territory. But the Dallas Cowboys used the element of surprise to their advantage against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday night, with punter Chris Jones picking up 24 yards on a fake punt.
🚨 @DallasCowboys Fake Punt! 🚨#DALvsOAK #DallasCowboys https://t.co/d2DH5vYIow
— NFL (@NFL) December 18, 2017
The Raiders sent two men back to return the punt, leaving them more vulnerable than normal after the initial push. Once Jones got by the initial rushers, he had nothing but space in front of him.
The play ended up benefiting the Cowboys. They finished the drive with a touchdown run from Dak Prescott.
Dak!@dallascowboys take the lead, 17-10. #DALvsOAK #DallasCowboys https://t.co/Eg35xITYpg
— NFL (@NFL) December 18, 2017
The whole sequence put Dallas up 17-10 on Oakland late in the third quarter.