Play
The Jets lined up in an
I formation, with Sanchez under
center. In the
backfield were
fullback Lex Hilliard and running back Shonn Greene, 41⁄2 and 7 yards behind the
line of scrimmage respectively. Sanchez had called the play in the huddle: a designed
handoff to the fullback.
[8] Typically in this formation, the running back receives the ball, and the fullback
blocks for him. The play call would attempt to misdirect the defense, as Greene would peel away to the left and Hilliard would take a quick handoff to the right.
[9]
When Sanchez took the
snap, he mistakenly turned to the left, where there was no one to receive the handoff. Trying to salvage the broken play, Sanchez scrambled forward towards the
line of scrimmage.
[10] At the 32-yard line, as he tried to slide down to protect himself and the ball, Sanchez collided with
right guard Brandon Moore, who was working against Patriots
defensive tackle Vince Wilfork; the collision dislodged the ball from Sanchez's right arm. As Sanchez was knocked down and Moore fell on top of him, the football bounced out to the right side of the play, near the 32-yard line, directly in front of Patriots safety
Steve Gregory, who collected the ball with his fingertips and ran untouched into the Jets' end zone for a scoop-and-score
touchdown.
[7]
Within minutes, video of the butt fumble went viral on the Internet,
[16] and it was widely mocked in the news media over the following week
