McCarthy stays vague as Steelers sit Joey Porter Jr. amid back rehab, contract limbo

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mike McCarthy is pretty much over talking about Joey Porter Jr.'s back and his contract situation.

Until one or the other is resolved — having both go away seems unlikely in the short term — the Pittsburgh Steelers coach might have to.

While McCarthy's debut for his hometown team was largely successful against injury-ravaged Atlanta, Porter's uncertain status and the attention it is getting could end McCarthy's honeymoon period sooner rather than later.

The club opted to make Porter inactive on Sunday, a decision that McCarthy called his and his alone, as the fourth-year pro continues to recover from a back injury that forced him to miss a big chunk of training camp, all of it set against the backdrop of stalled contract negotiations that seem destined to drag into next offseason.

The Steelers had little trouble without one of the league's top defensive backs against third-string Atlanta quarterback Cooper Rush, though the challenge will ramp up considerably over the next two weeks against New England and Cincinnati.

McCarthy remained vague on when Porter might be ready, though he said he hopes Porter will be able to take another step forward when the team returns to practice on Wednesday.

While everyone from general manager Omar Khan to longtime defensive tackle Cam Heyward believes Porter will be in Pittsburgh for the bulk of his career, the optics around his on-field absence feel strange.

McCarthy has repeatedly described the nature of Porter's work since being activated off the physically unable to perform list two weeks ago as a “ramp-up” period. He also said he was “impressed” while watching Porter up close for a couple of reps last Thursday. He just didn't see enough, it seems, to feel Porter was one of the 48 best players available.

Trying to distinguish perception from reality is tricky.

Porter's teammates have said to a man they believe it's time for him to get paid. And when asked about it in the locker room after keeping the Falcons winless all time in Pittsburgh, several of them were unsure whether his absence was because of his back or his lack of a long-term deal.

Even McCarthy allowed he's not sure how the uncertainty might affect Porter whenever he is cleared.

“When you have to deal with business during the season ... it’s not easy,” McCarthy said. “I think it’s an individual situation that every individual handles differently.”

How Porter and his coach handle it could play a factor when the glow from McCarthy's feel-good homecoming will fade.

Paying edge rushers an avalanche of money. The Steelers have more than $67 million in cap space tied up in T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig. It certainly looks like money well spent after the trio frequently created chaos in the Atlanta backfield. If they can stay healthy — all three missed multiple games last season because of injury — then Pittsburgh will have a chance to remain competitive in a division that includes what looks like two of the most explosive offenses in the NFL in Cincinnati and Baltimore.

The rebuilt offensive line did little to create running lanes for Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle. Pittsburgh ran for just 58 yards against a largely anonymous Falcons front seven, though Warren managed to rip off a handful of clock-chewing plays during the Steelers’ final drive. While quarterback Aaron Rodgers wasn’t really joking when he said afterward he hopes Pittsburgh keeps throwing it, a little balance could go a long way to opening things up downfield in the passing game.

At some point, defenders will learn to stop trying to go high to tackle mountainous 6-foot-7 tight end Darnell Washington. Until that happens, expect more highlight plays such as the one Washington delivered late in the fourth quarter when he threw Falcons safety Xavier Watts — 7 inches shorter and easily 80 pounds lighter — to the ground with a stiff-arm during a 15-yard catch-and-run that helped seal the game.

Honorable mention goes to the historically brutal Acrisure Stadium turf. The field has been resodded this year, and the early returns have been promising, with things holding up just fine the day after a rain storm during the college game between Pitt and UCF.

DK Metcalf considers himself one of the best wide receivers in the league, and his $132 million contract pays him like one. His quest to put an underwhelming — by his standards — 2025 behind him didn't get off to a great start. He dropped a couple of passes and was flagged twice for offensive pass interference. The 6-4, 225-pound Metcalf is a physical marvel and plays with tremendous effort, but that effort needs to turn into production for Pittsburgh to become the offense McCarthy envisions.

The Steelers emerged from Week 1 practically unscathed, a welcome development for one of the older teams in the league, particularly on defense.

2 — the number of players since sacks became an official statistic in 1982 to have 100-plus sacks and 10-plus interceptions in their career: Watt and Hall of Famer Julius Peppers.

Head to New England to try to do what they did on the road last September: pull off an upset against Drake Maye and the Patriots.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy runs calls on the sideline during an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Atlanta Falcons cornerback Mike Hughes (21) breaks up a pass intended for Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Dk Metcalf (4) during an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) runs the ball during an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt (90) intercepts a pass during an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Justin Berl)

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington (80) stiff arms Atlanta Falcons safety Xavier Watts (31) during an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

The Emmy Awards are underway. “The Pitt” and “Widow’s Bay” are generating buzz as they compete for top prizes. The ceremony is also honoring the anniversaries of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Charlie’s Angels.”

Here are some highlights as the show roars into the night.

Mariska Hargitay kicked off the show with New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson in an exuberant, looney pre-taped bit that had her sing a version of “I Love Rock ’n’ Roll” by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, renamed “I Love TV Screens.”

The first-time Emmy host was seen relaxed in bed with “Hacks” star Jean Smart, ate a burger in a nod to “Beef,” rode a horse and drank bubble tea with Jennifer Coolidge.

On stage, she reveled in the fact that she was the first woman to host in 15 years. The star of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” entering its 28th season, also joked that she never had to pronounce the word “finale” and pretended to have words with Nicole Kidman over her cheesy AMC ads.

“She crushed it,” said Amy Poehler, who took the stage after the opening.

Jean Smart was predicted to win her fifth straight Emmy for “Hacks” and did it with style. “What a ride this has been,” she said.

It’s her eighth trophy overall, which ties the all-time performer record shared by Cloris Leachman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Allison Janney. Smart also becomes the first woman to win best actress for each season of a show’s run.

Smart, 74, who first got noticed in the CBS comedy “Designing Women,” won her first Emmys for guest appearances on “Frasier” and then another for a supporting role on “Samantha Who.”

On Monday, she kept a special thank you to the end — “Hacks” creators Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky: “It all begins and ends with them,” she said.

Just six months after the “Buffy” reboot was scrapped, stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz reunited onstage to celebrate the show’s 30th anniversary.

After Boreanaz mused whether their characters, Buffy and Angel, would ever get together, Gellar had a sharp retort referencing the cancellation.

“Guess we’ll never find out!” Gellar said.

She also acknowledged it had been a tough two years for the show’s cast and crew, implicitly acknowledging the recent deaths of actors Anthony Head (Giles), Nicholas Brendon (Xavier) and Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn).

Sofia Vergara made it to the Emmys this year to present supporting actor in a comedy, bypassing the emergency room. Last year, she had to bow out of presenting at the last minute after suffering an eye allergy just before the show.

In the hour before the show opens, the Peacock Theater lobby was as jammed as an LA freeway.

Women wearing long trains attempt to protect them from an errant shoe as guests bump elbows and brush backs trying to make their way across the lobby. It’s time to gird for the three-hour show ahead, which means buying $9 cups of popcorn, $8 hot dogs and $23 beers and cocktails to carry to seats. It doesn’t appear nachos are a popular item — too messy for folks in tuxes and gowns

Meg Stalter, a nominee for best supporting actress for “Hacks,” was dressed as an Emmy statuette, complete with wings and a coat of gold makeup. She even held up a sphere like the real trophy itself.

It was Stalter’s first time attending the Emmys as a nominee. She earned her first career nod for supporting actress in a comedy series for playing Kayla Schaeffer in the fifth and final season of “Hacks.”

Similar to the Grammys held across the street, this year the Emmys are having the biggest names seated at small tables with lamps on them in front of the stage.

Typically, the guests are seated in long rows like a movie theater. There’s still the same pre-show hobnobbing. It seems no one wants to sit down early, knowing they’ll be in those seats for the next three hours.

For more coverage of this year’s Emmy Awards, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/emmy-awards

Jean Smart arrives at the 78th Emmy Awards on Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Host Mariska Hargitay speaks during the 78th Emmy Awards on Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Meg Stalter, left, and Paul W. Downs arrive at the 78th Emmy Awards on Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)