Jim Nantz says viral 'Peanut Punch' sparked calls from Josh Allen and a former U.S. President

Nantz had some notable names checking in on him after the viral punch-out attempt in Week 6

Oct 20, 2026 at 1:47 pm ET • 2 min read

It's the "Peanut Punch" heard around the NFL. One of the subplots of the action that unfolded across the league in Week 6 resided in Las Vegas during the Bills-Raiders matchup. No, it didn't have anything to do with what happened on the field. Instead, it had to do with a viral moment inside the NFL on CBS booth with our friend and lead NFL play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz. 

Nantz attempted to punch a football out of the grip of lead color analyst J.J. Watt's arm. As you might expect with a future Hall of Fame defensive lineman gripping onto the ball, Nantz was not able to create a turnover, and many — including some of the most powerful people on the planet — thought he hurt his wrist in the process.

"I've gotten more people reaching out to me with concern about what's going on with my wrist," Nantz told the Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday. "I was joking when I said right [after the punch], I think I broke my wrist. There was that immediate, like, reverberation thing going on.

"I heard from people you can't believe. Josh Allen texted me an hour after the game and said, 'Did you just break your hand? I'm hearing you broke your hand.' I heard from a former President of the United States, reached out and wanted to know if my hand was broken." 

That goes to show how much Nantz has become a fabric of our sports viewing experience that a former leader of the free world checked in on his status. While Nantz didn't go so far as to break his hand, he did acknowledge that it stung when it was hammered into the football. 

"Let me clarify. I did kind of go aggressively here after this ball because J.J. encouraged me to do so, and it did sting. I'm not gonna kid you," he said. "JJ said, 'I didn't know you were going to come after it that hard.' Some are saying it was the greatest punch thrown in Vegas since [Manny Pacquiao] a few years back. 

"I gave it my best, and as soon as I did it, I regretted it because I felt like everything had been compressed. I did think I was going to wake up Monday with [my wrist] 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." 

So, the good news is that we don't have to worry about Nantz landing on the injury report this week, as he declared he has no injury designation for Week 7. He won't even be questionable when he, Watt, and Tracy Wolfson travel to Baltimore, where the Ravens will host the Cincinnati Bengals.