Nobody tells you what happens when a broadcaster challenges a future Hall of Famer to a game of knock-the-ball-out. JJ Watt invited Jim Nantz to punch the ball out of his hands, and Nantz swung harder than either man expected. The football didn’t budge. Nantz’s wrist, by his own account, did not fare as well.
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However, in a recent discussion on The Pat McAfee Show, Jim Nantz provided a complete breakdown of the situation and how his hands feel now.
“I did kind of go aggressively here after this ball because J.J. encouraged me to do so,” Nantz said. “And it did sting. I’m not going to kid you. And J.J. said, I didn’t know you were going to come after it that hard. Some are saying that it was the greatest punch thrown in Vegas since [Manny] Pacquiao a few years back. But I gave it my best.
“And as soon as I did it, I regretted it because I felt like everything had been compressed. And I did think I was going to wake up Monday with this thing about triple the size. But I’m fine. I’m not going to be on the injury report this week. I’m going to be good to go. No broken bones.”
The viral incident took place on Sunday, October 18, 2026, during the CBS broadcast of the NFL Week 6 game between the Buffalo Bills and Las Vegas Raiders.
During a break in the game’s action, the former NFL defensive superstar J.J. Watt decided to demonstrate how modern football players protect the ball from a “Peanut Punch”, a turnover technique made famous by former Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman.
Watt showed how players use a secure wrist-lock and multiple points of pressure to hold onto the football. Watt egged Nantz on, inviting him to try and punch the ball out of his hands with full force.
The 67-year-old Nantz immediately stood up from his chair, wound up, and delivered a full haymaker directly into the football. However, the football didn’t wobble at all.
Instead, Nantz immediately winced in pain, slumped back into his seat, and joked on-air, “My wrist is broken.”
Meanwhile, a stunned Watt burst out laughing, admitting he never expected the broadcaster to strike the ball that hard. In the immediate aftermath, when the game returned from halftime for the second half, Nantz was seen holding an ice pack wrapped around his right wrist while continuing his play-by-play duties.
Jim Nantz revealed the surprising level of panic his on-air injury caused. First off, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen texted Nantz just an hour after the game concluded, asking, “Did you just break your hand? I’m hearing you broke your hand.”
Not just that, Nantz also shared that a former President of the United States contacted him directly to express concern and ask if his hand was broken. However, in his latest update, he happily said he had no broken bones in his hand and compared his punch to legendary boxer Manny Pacquiao’s, who holds a pro boxing record of 62 wins, 8 losses, and 3 draws.