The “Peanut Punch” is everywhere in the NFL right now, but in Atlanta, Jessie Bates III has turned it into a calling card.
The move, made famous by former All-Pro cornerback Charles Tillman, has caught on league-wide as defenders go after the football with a closed fist and try to jar it loose. According to Jomboy Media, forced fumbles are up 39% compared to the 2025 season.
Bates put the technique on display last Sunday, Oct. 25, when he punched the ball out of George Kittle’s hands to help preserve a 29-20 Falcons win and hand the previously undefeated San Francisco 49ers their first loss.
“There are people doing it around the league,” Bates told reporters Monday. “It’s not like I’m reinventing the wheel.”
He did more than that in the win. Bates also hauled in a toe-tap interception off Brock Purdy, and the forced fumble plus pick gave him six games in his career with both in the same contest. That puts him behind only Rod Woodson, who had seven, and Woodson shares another connection with Bates: both are Fort Wayne, Indiana natives and Snider High School alumni.
The ninth-year veteran says the roots of that knack go back to his days as a three-sport letterman at Snider, where he played football, basketball and baseball before starring at Wake Forest.
“You go back to my high school tapes. I’m punching at the ball, I’m picking the ball off,” Bates said.
“I definitely encourage guys to play multiple sports because it does translate. The same way I pick a pocket in basketball is the same way I can punch the ball out on a football play. Baseball, coming off a bat, is the same thing as a quarterback throwing the ball.”
Since joining Atlanta in 2023, Bates has nearly matched his forced fumble total with his interception total. In 58 games with the Falcons, he has 10 forced fumbles and 14 interceptions.
His best season for forced fumbles came in 2024, when he had four. Through the first seven games this year, he already has two.
Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich didn’t hold back when talking about Bates’ skill at the strip.
“The best in football,” Ulbrich said.
“It’s no surprise to us,” Ulbrich said. “If you just watch any one of our practices, you see how intentional Jessie is about hitting the ball.
And it’s not just the random haymakers on the ball. It’s really the precision, trying to find the leather, and then ultimately trying to find the air behind the ball.
He’s got an amazing feel for that. We’ve always got to keep the ball at the forefront of our minds, and having a guy like Jessie leading the charge, I feel fortunate in that way.”
That habit has rubbed off on the rest of the team, including the offense. Bates said it has helped sharpen ball security for players such as Bijan Robinson, who is known for not fumbling often.
“Those things don’t just happen on Sunday,” Bates explained. “Our whole defense does a good job of doing that in practice.
When you’re punching at the ball on Bijan, it makes him better as well. Makes our football team better.”
Bates and the Falcons are back in action in Week 8, when Atlanta (3-4) visits the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-5) for an NFC South matchup. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. from Raymond James Stadium, with the game airing on FOX.
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