Fake punt revisited

After fielding questions postgame about his decision to run a fake punt up 35-3 in the second quarter, Harbaugh added more context to the decision.

“We got a fake punt on us, run of 35-plus [yards], and we had two touchdowns, passing touchdowns, scored against us in the last six minutes of a blowout,” Harbaugh said. “That’s the NFL for one thing. But the point is, and I know that the Dolphins understand this … the objective is to keep your offense on the field and to keep your defense off the field.”

The fake punt, a direct snap to upback Anthony Levine Sr., went for 60 yards and set up the team’s sixth touchdown, marking a franchise record for points in a half (42).

In 2017, the Jacksonville Jaguars, leading the Ravens 44-0 in London, ran a successful fake punt with 23 seconds left in the third quarter en route to a 44-7 victory.

Harbaugh said once the team arrived at fourth-and-1 on its own 30, the fake punt was something they considered. He also shrugged off any notion that the team wasted a surprise tactic in the first week of the season.

“That’s a pretty standard play,” Harbaugh said. “The dive play, everybody runs it, so everybody knows we have it.”