Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians reportedly will be coaching Sunday’s game against the New York Jets with a ruptured Achilles tendon, and it has put his availability going forward in question.
NFL Insider Jay Glazer reported the news during FOX’s pregame coverage Sunday, sharing that Arians has been trying to hide the injury from everyone — including those inside the building — before aggravating the same injury recently.
“The problem is a week ago he aggravated that same injury and now he says if it completely ruptures, ‘I’m going to need surgery and probably immediate surgery,’ ” Glazer said.
What does that mean for Arians being on the sideline for the rest of the Buccaneers season?
“He said, ‘Look, you know me, I’m gonna do whatever I can to coach the rest of season, but if I need immediate surgery, I don’t know what’s gonna happen throughout the rest of this year.’ “
The defending Super Bowl champion Buccaneers already have claimed the NFC South but remain in pursuit of the top seed in the conference. Tampa Bay enters Week 17 as the No. 4 seed behind the conference-leading Green Bay Packers, Cowboys and Rams despite holding the same 11-4 record as Dallas and Los Angeles.
Tampa Bay will conclude its season with the Jets in Week 17 and the Carolina Panthers — who it pummeled 32-6 in Week 16 — in its regular-season finale.
