Jim Nantz Out for Sunday’s Bucs vs. Panthers Game; Tom McCarthy to Fill In

With Nantz in COVID-19 protocols, Tony Romo will have a new broadcast partner for Week 18.

NFL teams aren’t the only organizations that have to contend with major COVID-19 absences on Sundays. CBS will be without its top play-by-play announcer, Jim Nantz, this weekend for its Buccaneers vs. Panthers broadcast.

Nantz has entered COVID-19 health and safety protocols, which takes him out of the booth for the weekend. Tom McCarthy, another CBS voice who also calls games for the Phillies, will fill in alongside Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson.

Per CBS: Due to Covid protocols, Tom McCarthy will fill in for Jim Nantz, calling Carolina at Tampa Bay alongside Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson. pic.twitter.com/cRjaEUzWO9

— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) January 7, 2022

The game will pair Romo with a new play-by-play voice for one of the first times in his career. The former Cowboys quarterback has become one of football’s most popular game analysts in short order, heading to the booth in 2017. He was immediately placed on CBS’s top NFL team with Nantz for his first season after his retirement from football.

Nantz and Romo called Chiefs at Bengals last week.

Sunday’s Buccaneers vs. Panthers game kicks off at 4:25 p.m. ET. With Tampa Bay having already won the NFC South, and Carolina eliminated from the playoffs, it is an interesting choice for CBS’s top team. Considering the Antonio Brown drama this week, however, there may still be plenty of attention paid to the proceedings at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday.