Getty Dawson Knox #88 of the Buffalo Bills against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on October 18, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox‘s breakout career-best performance has been one of the greatest surprises this season, but what left everyone’s jaw on the floor was a photo of him flipping off quarterback Josh Allen mid-throw last month.
During the primetime matchup between the Bills and Tennessee Titans on Monday Night Football, Knox unintentionally gave Allen the middle finger during a trick play in the third quarter. A few days later, on Thursday, October 21, the Bills official Twitter account posted a photo of this moment, confirming the picture wasn’t doctored.
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Never know when you’ll use your shot put skills. 😅
Knox, 24, who played quarterback at his Tennessee high school, Brentwood Academy, utilized his throwing skills to pass a toss to Allen to score a two-point conversion, a play known as the “Philly Special.” That score gave the Bills a 31-24 lead and was the last play that put points on Buffalo’s side of the scoreboard.
Knox’s teammate, linebacker Tyrel Dodson, couldn’t believe Knox pulled off flipping the bird mid-play on Monday Night Football. Dodson tweeted a zoomed-in photo of the moment with an entire line of laugh-cry emojis and wrote, “yooo you gotta explain this left hand gesture @dawson_knox.”
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 yooo you gotta explain this left hand gesture @dawson_knox
On November 18, Knox finally explained himself to The Buffalo News reporter Katherine Fitzgerald. “hello, finally got the big explanation today from Dawson Knox,” Fitzgerald tweeted. Knox said, “Yeah, so that was actually really funny — when I saw the screenshot, I thought somebody had photoshopped it. Cause obviously, it’s clear that I’m like flicking him off with my left hand.”
“Part of me wishes I could claim it, and be like ‘Yeah, screw you, I’m still throwing it,'” Knox continued. “But no, it was completely accidental. I don’t know what needed to flex in my forearm in order to get it there, but it just happened like that. It’s kinda funny.”
Knox Threw That 2-Point Conversion Pass With a Broken Hand
Tired: Philly Special
Wired: Billy Special
Making Knox’s trick play even more impressive, he threw the ball to Allen with a broken hand, which he had injured on a previous play. Allen tried to call off the play but Knox insisted he could get it done.
“That’s why we love him,” Allen said.
On Tuesday, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo tweeted that “TE Dawson Knox broke a bone in his hand. Timeline TBD but the hope is he won’t miss much time.”
When Knox tweeted about the Philly Special play after the game, he didn’t comment on his hand gestures. He joked on October 20, “Never thought throwing shotput in high school would help me in the league but here we are.”
Knox Returned to Action in Week 10 Vs. the New York Jets
After missing two weeks while recovering from surgery, Knox returned to the field last Sunday when the Bills took on the New York Jets. During Buffalo’s 45-17 win, Knox was only targeted one time, catching a 17-yard pass from Allen.
Knox said his hand was still feeling sore, but that he’s ready to turn up the volume in Week 11 against the Indianapolis Colts.
“Thankfully it was not as bad as I thought it was going to be,” Knox said, per Sports Illustrated. “Obviously there’s some soreness there, but they’ve reassured me with all the pins and screws I got in here, it will be good to go for the rest of the season.”
Prior to getting injured, Knox had caught 21 passes for 286 yards and five touchdowns.
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