Jim Nantz probably has a lot on his mind this season as he learns to work with J.J. Watt and wonders whether he’ll work with Tony Romo again. So much on his mind that it might make the words come out a little differently than intended.
That was on display Sunday afternoon when Nantz struggled to choose between the words kick and punt on the fly. Nantz and Watt had the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots on CBS Sunday afternoon. And late in the third quarter, Nantz had an unfortunate slip of the tongue.
When Jim Nantz mashes the words kick and punt 😬 pic.twitter.com/vOwf88hHut
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 21, 2026
“How big was that drop? As the k*nt, kick comes to about the 10,” Nantz was heard saying.
Credit Nantz for quickly correcting himself, but the word was already uttered for the world to hear. In Nantz’s defense, Johnston punted the ball eight times during the Steelers’ putrid offensive performance Sunday afternoon against the Patriots. And Nantz said the word “punt” cleanly on seven of those attempts. But it’s the one he bungled that the people will ultimately remember.
This has already been a trying season for Nantz, who is navigating some predictable hurdles while learning to work with a new partner after Tony Romo was put on indefinite leave by CBS in the wake of his OWI arrest. The last thing he needs now is to be worrying about every word that comes out of his mouth.
Broadcasters have long learned to proceed with caution when saying things such as “bulging disc.” And this isn’t the first time a broadcaster mashed kick and punt into a regretful term. Maybe Nantz doesn’t have to worry about every word, but he just proved the importance of committing to kick or punt before speaking.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com