The life of an NFL cameraman can be a dangerous one, oftentimes finding themselves on the receiving end of hits from some of the world’s strongest men on the sideline. And viewers at home got a good sense of that during Sunday’s matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills on CBS.
In the second quarter, Bills star quarterback Josh Allen was able to connect with tight end Dawson Knox on a 24-yard reception towards the Chiefs sideline to get the into Kansas City territory.
Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal made the hit to force Knox out of bounds. But Knox stayed on his feet, stumbling over to a number of broadcast technicians on the sideline and running three of them over, including one cameraman.
“Here is the deep pass, it’s open and it’s Knox with the reception,” said Jim Nantz on the call of the play. “And wipes out about three technicians. But there to help them get up.”
Multiple different angles were shown of Knox’s reception. But perhaps the best came from the cameraman who was knocked down, which showed Knox first making the catch and inevitably knocking him to the turf.
Bills TE Dawson Knox completely decks a cameraman on the sidelines. CBS is right there to show a replay from his angle. pic.twitter.com/rdJakqYib0
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 17, 2024
Knox is no small man, standing at 6’4” and weighing around 250 pounds. So props to the cameraman, who didn’t move an inch before Knox inadvertently took him to the ground. He was able to capture exactly what he needed to on the play.
Fortunately, it seems like everyone involved with the hit including Knox was okay afterward, which we have seen is not always the case in other sports when camera operators find themselves in the line of fire.
