How to Fake a Punt in Madden 27 and Actually Convert It

To fake a punt in Madden 27, open the Punt formation in Special Teams on the play call screen and pick one of the fake plays listed next to the real punt. Then check the defense, snap it and run or throw the play like any other. The button part is easy. The hard part is picking the right moment, because a stuffed fake at your own 35 hands the other team a short field.

The Short Answer in Six Steps

Here’s the whole process for faking a punt in Madden 27 before we get into the details.

1. On fourth down, open Special Teams on the play call screen and select the Punt formation.
2. Pick a fake, such as Fake Punt Off Tackle, Fake Punt Sweep or Fake Punt FB Flat.
3. Before the snap, check how many defenders are near the line and whether the return unit looks soft.
4. If they’re in safe or fake punt defense, switch to the real punt.
5. Snap the ball with A on Xbox or X on PlayStation.
6. On a run, follow your blockers. On a pass, throw to the first read right away.

Every Fake Punt Play in the Formation

The Punt formation gives you run fakes and pass fakes. Fake Punt Dive, Fake Punt Off Tackle, Fake Punt Sweep, and Fake Punt Shovel attack the interior and perimeter against overloaded block packages. On the passing side, Fake Punt W Release, Fake Punt FB Flat, Fake Punt FB Pass, and Fake Punt X Curl turn protectors and gunners into receivers. The regular kick in the same formation is called Punt 2.

There’s also a separate trick set. Direct Snaps is a special teams trick formation built from a standard punt alignment. It lines up like a normal punt, but there is only one play in the formation, so once an opponent sees it they know exactly what the fake looks like. Treat it as a one-time surprise.

Playbooks can differ a little, so check your team’s Punt formation in Practice mode before you need it in a real game.

What You Need Before You Try a Fake Punt

You need Madden NFL 27, a game mode with normal play calling, and a few minutes of setup so your fake isn’t run by your weakest players. Madden NFL 27 launches worldwide on August 13, 2026. It is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC (through EA app, Steam, and Epic Games Store). The fakes are part of the core playbook, so the mode you play doesn’t change how they work.

Modes Where Fakes Work

Set Up Your Personnel First

Your default punt unit is made up of backups and special teamers, and that’s fine for kicking. For a fake, you want a real football player carrying the ball. An old Madden trick still applies: put your fastest running back in the upback spot and a strong lineman at long snapper before the game. If you make the change at kickoff, you don’t need to burn time or tip off your opponent by subbing on fourth down.

Swap the upback, or the fullback on pass fakes, and leave the punter alone. On pass fakes, the punter is your quarterback, so his throwing ratings matter more than you’d think.

Heads up: Formation subs only change that one formation. Your regular depth chart stays the same, so you won’t accidentally move your starting running back to punt protector duty for every snap.

How to Run a Fake Punt Step by Step

You call a fake punt from the play call screen like any other play, and most of the skill is in what you do before and right after the snap. Let’s get into it.

Before the Snap

1. Call the play. On fourth down, the play call screen shows special teams. Pick the Punt formation, then the fake, and confirm with A or X.
2. Read the return unit. Count the defenders near the line and look at the gunners. Watch for a safety or gunner cheating down into the box, which signals the defense has scouted this specific fake punt package.
3. Have a backup plan. If the look is wrong, switch to the real punt with an audible. The best fakes are often the ones you decide not to run.

After the Snap on a Run Fake

On the inside runs, don’t try to bounce the ball outside. For the direct snap fake, press straight to the line and follow the interior double team instead of bouncing outside, because the edge is where punt block rushers and contain defenders live. The Sweep is different. You want the edge, and the giveaway is gunners releasing upfield immediately at the snap, which confirms the defense treats this as a real punt.

On the Shovel, the shovel man motions across the backfield to receive a quick shovel pitch from the punter. Let the pitch arrive before you push the left stick toward the hole, or you’ll run past your own blockers.

After the Snap on a Pass Fake

Pass fakes are built for one quick throw. On FB Flat, the primary read progression is simply the fullback in the flat with no secondary options, and X Curl is the same, since the primary read progression starts and ends with the X curl. Throw on rhythm. If the receiver is covered, take the sack or throw it away instead of forcing it. A sack still leaves the defense with worse field position than an interception returned for a touchdown.

Pro tip: Pump fakes work from the punter too. Double-tap the button for the receiver you want to fake a pass to, but only once. Your blocking can’t hold up for a second fake.

Fake Punt Controls by Platform

The controls for a fake punt match your normal offense, because once the ball is snapped, the punter or upback is just a quarterback or ball carrier. Here’s what you need on each controller.

Platform Differences Worth Knowing

The plays and menus are the same on every platform. Only the button labels change. Nintendo Switch 2 uses Nintendo’s button layout, so watch the on-screen prompts on the play call screen instead of relying on Xbox muscle memory. On PC, a controller uses the Xbox layout. If you play on keyboard and mouse, check your bindings under the game’s controls settings, because remapped keys show up in the prompts.

The pump fake works on any receiver that has a button icon above his head. That matters on punt pass fakes, because only the players running routes get an icon. If you don’t see an icon over your fullback, you’ve called the wrong play.

There’s one difference between the CPU and a human opponent. Against the CPU, the defense usually shows up in the same return look most of the game. Against a human, the defense can change every punt, so the pre-snap read and the audible to the real punt matter more online than anywhere else.

Pro tip: Practice your fake in Practice mode at least five times before you use it in a real game. You want to know where the hole opens before you bet a possession on it.

When to Fake a Punt and When to Kick

Fake a punt when the defense is in a standard return look, the distance is short, and failing won’t give the other team easy points. Kick in every other situation. Fakes work when the defense isn’t expecting one, and that means a smart opponent will only fall for it once.

A Simple Decision Rule

One source puts it well. Save pass fakes for situations where a blown fake will not be catastrophic, such as midfield on 4th and long. Rushes are where the fakes come in: punt block looks send extra rushers off the edge, which empties the flats.

A Worked Example

Say we’re running the Bills in Franchise. It’s late in the third quarter, we’re tied with Miami, and we’re facing 4th and 2 at our own 46. On our first two punts, the Dolphins came out in the same punt return middle look, with the gunners releasing upfield and nobody staying home on the edge. That’s the look we want.

We call Fake Punt Off Tackle with our fastest back at upback, check that nobody has crept down, and snap it. The run only needs two yards. If a safety walks down before the snap, we audible to Punt 2 and pin them inside the 15 instead. Either way, we made the decision before the snap, not after.

Sequencing matters too. Mix this call in after running a normal Punt 2 a few times in the same game so the defense relaxes. Two honest punts make the third one look believable.

Why Your Fake Punt Fails and How to Fix It

Most failed fakes in Madden 27 come down to calling the fake into the one defense built to stop it. The rest come from carrying the ball the wrong way or holding a pass too long. We’ve all watched a sure first down disappear because we cut outside straight into the contain player.

Common Mistakes

• Faking into safe or fake punt defense. A safe punt return look or a fake punt defense keeps defenders home in run fits, and the upback gets stopped short of the sticks. Fix: audible to the real punt.
• Running the shovel into a block rush. Extra rushers crashing downhill will blow up the shovel pitch before it develops. Fix: call a pass fake against that look instead.
• Holding the ball on pass fakes. With one read and backup blockers, you have very little time. Fix: throw on the punter’s drop or don’t throw at all.
• Using the same fake twice. Once a human opponent has seen it, they adjust. Fix: show a run fake first, then come back with a pass fake later.
• Subbing on fourth down. A last-second substitution tells your opponent something is coming. Fix: set formation subs before kickoff.

Reading the Return Unit

Watch for players creeping up to the line before the snap. That signals a punt-safe or fake-punt-aware call that will not bite on the shovel action. For X Curl, tight press alignment on the X receiver signals they may be sniffing out the fake. If you see either one, kick the ball.

Heads up: A human opponent can switch defenses right before the snap. If the return unit moves late, you won’t get a second chance to audible, so make your read early and stick with it.

Related Tricks Worth Knowing

The Madden fake field goal is the closest relative of the fake punt, and the same rules apply: find the fakes in the Field Goal formation, read the defense, and kick if they’re expecting it. Fake field goals carry more risk, because a missed fake means losing a near-certain three points. Fake punts usually cost you field position, not points.

Fake Field Goal Basics

Fake field goal plays are in the Field Goal formation under Special Teams, and the play names vary by playbook. The best time for one is a short kick against a defense that sends everyone at the kicker. That’s the same logic that makes punt pass fakes work against heavy block rushes. If the defense keeps players back, kick the field goal and move on.

Other Trick Plays That Use the Same Skills

• Pump fakes: The double-tap pump fake works on any receiver with a button icon. Use it once to slow down a pass rush, then throw.
• Direct snaps: The Direct Snaps fake is the cleanest one-time surprise in the game, because it looks exactly like a real punt before the snap.
• Sequencing: Fake Punt X Curl works best once you’ve set it up. Pair it with Fake Punt Sweep or Fake Punt Off Tackle earlier in the game to condition the opponent to key on run fakes, then throw when they crash.

If you want help with the rest of your team, from depth charts to Franchise strategy, start with our Madden NFL 27 guides hub. A fake punt is fun, but it won’t make up for a bad depth chart. It works best as one smart risk in a game plan that’s already sound.

FAQ

Where are the fake punt plays in Madden 27?

On the play call screen, open Special Teams and pick the Punt formation. The fakes sit next to the real punt, and a separate Direct Snaps set has one more fake punt.

Can you fake a punt in Madden 27 after you’ve already called a real punt?

Don’t count on it. The safe approach is to call the fake from the play call screen, then switch to the real punt at the line if the defense shows safe or fake punt defense.

Does the CPU fall for fake punts in Madden 27?

The CPU often lines up in a standard return look, and that’s the look fakes are built to beat. If it walks extra defenders up to the line, skip the fake and punt.

How do you run a fake field goal in Madden 27?

It works the same way. Open Special Teams, pick the Field Goal formation and choose one of the fake plays there. The names vary by playbook, so check the list before you need it.

Who throws the ball on a fake punt pass?

The punter. On pass fakes he takes the snap like a quarterback, so his throwing ratings matter. Get the ball out quickly to the first read.

What’s the best fake punt in Madden 27?

It depends on the look. Run fakes like Off Tackle or Sweep beat soft returns with light numbers up front. Pass fakes like FB Flat beat heavy punt block rushes that leave the flats empty.

Sources

• EA SPORTS Madden NFL 27 FAQ
• Buy EA SPORTS Madden NFL 27

impossiblepheasant18