The Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers met in the final game of the wild-card round on the postseason edition of Monday Night Football on ABC and ESPN. When the ESPN broadcast showed the starting lineups, there was a pretty glaring error.
ESPN had veteran Jimmie Ward listed as one of three safeties in the lineup. The main problem being Ward was not playing tonight and had not played at all this season for a number of on and off-field reasons. Here's video of Ward's brief appearance on the broadcast.
ESPN has Jimmie Ward starting at safety for the Houston Texans tonight.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 13, 2026
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
ESPN's official depth chart for the Texans has Ward with an "O" for out next to his name. He is listed as backing up Jalen Pitre at free safety. In the video you can see No. 23, Jaylen Reed, was on the field and probably should have been the one in Ward's safety spot in ESPN's starting lineup graphic.
Ward started 10 games in each of the previous two seasons for Houston. He started this season on the commissioner's exempt list stemming from two offseason arrests. He was taken off the list in September when charges were dismissed, but has still been out all season with a foot injury.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ESPN Had a Glaring Error in ‘Monday Night Football‘ Wild Card Starting Lineup Graphic.
