Mike McCarthy spends entire Steelers halftime in blue medical tent with ankle injury

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy spent the entire halftime of Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers inside the team’s blue medical tent, getting his ankle checked — and never went to the halftime locker room, the New York Post reported.

The 62-year-old limped off the field at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa after apparently suffering the injury on the sideline late in the first half. He remained on the sidelines for the start of the third quarter and continued to coach, according to reports.

McCarthy is in his first season coaching the Steelers, reuniting with quarterback Aaron Rodgers after the pair worked together with the Green Bay Packers, including winning Super Bowl XLV. He was out of the NFL in 2025 after a five-year stint as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

NFL reporter Jordan Schultz first reported that McCarthy spent halftime getting treatment in the tent, per Steelers Wire. CBS and IMAGN photographs carried via Reuters Connect showed the coach being helped off the field.

Pittsburgh trailed Tampa Bay 13-3 at halftime, and the game later headed to overtime.

Earlier Sunday, umpire Larry Smith was carted off the field after slipping on the wet grass during the Houston Texans’ win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.