ESPN mistakenly announces Jimmie Ward as Texans starter vs. Steelers despite being on PUP list

The Pittsburgh Steelers are hosting the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football in what is the final game of NFL Wild Card weekend. Houston came into the game a relatively healthy bunch.

One player has missed the entire season and that’s veteran safety Jimmie Ward. The 34-year-old is on the reserve/physically unable to perform list (PUP) and has been dealing with multiple legal issues.

But when it came time for ESPN to announce Houston’s starting lineup against Pittsburgh, Ward was listed. Both his face and name were shown on the graphic in between safety Calen Bullock and cornerback Kamari Lassiter.

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

Texans secondary helped lead Houston playoffs

Ward, of course, is not out there for the Texans. Houston’s starting secondary, arguably the best in football, is made up of Bullock, Lassiter, Jalen Pitre and Derek Stingley Jr. It’s one of the many strengths of Houston’s defense and why some believe the Texans can go far in the postseason.

But in order to do that, they must first get by the Steelers, who haven’t won a playoff game since 2016. The Texans, meanwhile, are 0-6 in road playoff games.

Something has to give. Head coach DeMeco Ryans isn’t putting much stock in the franchise’s road playoff failures. He plans on leaving Acrisure Stadium a winner.

“Man we’re here. We’re going to Pittsburgh. On the road, it’s gonna be cold, let’s go,” Ryans said. “It’s time for the Texans to put it all together and show that we can go win a game on the road, in a tough environment, in the playoffs. Let’s go get it done.”