The Patriots’ gutsy fake punt led to an opening touchdown against the Dolphins

The Patriots appeared to be headed for a surprising three-and-out against the Dolphins during their opening drive on Sunday. Yet just when Miami thought a New England threat had been averted, Nate Ebner ran a fake punt for a first down. Tom Brady and the Patriots’ offense promptly scored to take a 7-0 lead.

Ebner took a direct snap on 4th and 9 at the New England 27-yard line, sprinting around the edge for 14 yards. However, the Patriots’ special teams ace was injured on the play:

🚨🚨 FAKE PUNT ALERT! 🚨🚨

The @Patriots get tricky! #GoPats https://t.co/mwC6iuUOJK

— NFL (@NFL) November 26, 2017

The Patriots’ offense returned to the field, and Rex Burkhead scored a two-yard touchdown only four plays later.

Ebner was ruled out for the remainder of the game due to the injury he suffered on the play:

https://twitter.com/MikeReiss/status/934847699639291904