Steelers coach Mike McCarthy spent halftime of Pittsburgh's game at Tampa Bay in the blue medical tent. He did not go to the locker room with his team. Pro Football Talk's Charean Williams reported that he did not go into the locker room. CBS Sports' Bryan DeArdo reported that he spent the break in the tent. Yahoo Sports' Chris Cwik described an apparent ankle injury and said McCarthy missed halftime to get treatment.
The outlets differ on how specific the injury is. Yahoo's headline, which matches the PFT item, calls it a sprained ankle. Cwik's piece and CBS's coverage say only "apparent ankle injury" and "injury". Another Yahoo item says he was hurt on the field. None of the summaries we have say whether he is expected to keep coaching, or how he was hurt. We have no word from McCarthy or the team on a timeline.
The game is still live. With 13:18 left in the fourth quarter, the Steelers trail the Buccaneers 16-10 at Raymond James Stadium, per our box score. Tampa Bay led 13-3 at the half, so McCarthy's staff was in the locker room making adjustments while he was being treated. Pittsburgh then outscored Tampa Bay 7-0 in the fourth quarter so far.
The game has been low-scoring and tight in yardage. Pittsburgh has 175 total yards to Tampa Bay's 180, and Aaron Rodgers is 19 of 30 for 146 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Tampa Bay's Jalon Daniels is 17 of 28 for 114 yards and a touchdown. Both teams have taken three sacks.
The result matters for both clubs. Pittsburgh is 3-2 and third in the AFC North, and it comes off a 34-22 win over Indianapolis on Oct. 11. The Steelers lost 27-24 at Cleveland on Oct. 1. McCarthy is in his first season in Pittsburgh. His career record is 188-125-2 across stops in Green Bay and Dallas. Tampa Bay is 1-4 and fourth in the NFC South. It won 24-16 at Dallas on Oct. 8 after losing to Green Bay and Minnesota.
The Steelers play next at New Orleans on Sunday, Oct. 25. Whether McCarthy is moving freely on the sideline for the rest of this game, and for that trip, is the open question. Tampa Bay plays at Carolina the same day.
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