Just minutes into the AFC Wild Card round NFL playoff game between the Houston Texans and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night at Acrisure Stadium, the ESPN broadcast made a rough error.
The ESPN broadcast showed a graphic of the defensive players starting in the Houston secondary, which included Jimmie Ward at safety.
Well, Ward isn’t starting for the Texans. He’s not even on the active roster, and he hasn’t played a single snap all season.
ESPN has Jimmie Ward starting at safety for the Houston Texans tonight.
He’s definitely not. He hasn’t even been active for a game this season (the Reserve/PUP list, plus legal issues). #NFL #NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/5su2FnZJSo
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 13, 2026
Ward has been on the reserve/physically unable to perform (PUP) list all season due to a foot injury, and he was also put on the Commissioner Exempt list by the NFL in August following two arrests.
The NFL future for Ward, a 34-year-old and former first-round draft pick out of Northern Illinois (with the San Francisco 49ers in 2014), is unclear.
But what we know for sure: he’s not currently playing games for the Texans.
Mistakes happen, but this is a pretty brutal gaffe to make on ESPN’s first NFL playoff broadcast of the year.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.