Punt ( gridiron football ) In American and Canadian football , the ball is punted downfield to the opposing team , usually on the final down , with the hope of giving the receiving team a field position that is more advantageous to the kicking team when possession changes . The team in possession of the ball will typically punt the ball to the opposing team when they are on their final down ( fourth down in American football , third down in Canadian football ) , do not want to risk a turnover on downs by not gaining enough yardage to make a first down and are in such a field position that they do not believe they can successfully make a field goal . The purpose of the punt is for the team in possession , or " kicking team " , to move the ball towards the opponent ' s end zone in order to maximize the distance the receiving team must advance the ball in order to score a touchdown when they take possession of the ball . A punt play involves the kicking team lining up at the line of scrimmage with the kicker , or punter , lined up usually 15 yards behind the center ( in American football this distance is shortened if the ball is on a spot such that the kicker ' s normal position is on or beyond the end line ) . The receiving team lines up with one or two players downfield to catch the ball . The center makes a long snap to the kicker who then drops the ball and kicks it before it hits the ground . The player who catches the ball is then entitled to attempt to advance the ball . The result of a typical punt , barring any penalties or extraordinary circumstances , is a first down for the receiving team at the spot where : Other possible results include the punt being blocked behind the line of scrimmage , and the ball being touched , but not caught or possessed , downfield by the receiving team . In both cases the ball is then " free " and " live " and will belong to whichever team recovers it . Fake punts . On very rare occasions , a punting team will elect to attempt a " fake punt " — line up in punt formation and begin the process as normal , but instead do one of the following : Although teams sometimes use fake punts to exploit a weakness in the opposing team ' s defense , a fake punt is very rare , and often used in desperate situations , such as to keep a drive alive when a team is behind and needs to catch up quickly , or to spark an offense in a game where the defense dominates . The high risk and low success rate of " fake punts " , combined with the need to maintain an element of surprise when the play " is " actually called , explains why this play is seldom seen . One of the most famous fake punts was by New York Giants linebacker Gary Reasons during the against the San Francisco 49ers , in which he rushed for 30 yards on a fourth down conversion via a direct snap to him instead of the punter , Sean Landeta , which was a critical difference in a 15 – 13 victory . The Giants went on to win Super Bowl XXV . Return . A punt return is one of the punt receiving team ' s options to respond to a punt . A player positioned about 35 – 45 yards from the line of scrimmage will attempt to catch or pick up the ball after it is punted by the opposing team ' s punter . He then attempts to carry the ball as far as possible back in the direction of the line of scrimmage , without being tackled or running out of bounds . Players may also lateral the ball to other players on their team , to keep the play alive if he expects to be tackled or go out of bounds . DeSean Jackson of the Philadelphia Eagles is the only player , in the " Miracle at the New Meadowlands " , to return a punt for a touchdown on the final play of a NFL game for a win from scrimmage . The NFL record for the number of punt returns for a touchdown in a career increased to 11 and is held by Devin Hester of the Chicago Bears who achieved the feat with a 69 yard return against the Carolina Panthers on October 2 , 2011 . He was previously tied with Eric Metcalf . References . Notes