Lauer was Back for Blood Eyed Bob Last Night

Matt Lauer was back in the saddle for Bob Costas‘ as the prime time anchor for NBC’s Sochi Olympics coverage.

Lauer was back after Meredith Vieira did the subbing for Friday and Saturday night.  

NBC Sports still says Costas is “day to day.” Lauer last week pulled double duty for three days, co-anchoring Today from Sochi while also filling in for Costas in primetime.  Costas  is battling an infection in both eyes. 

Late last week, Costas told Ryan Seacrest in a radio interview he hoped to be back in the studio over the weekend. That’s not going to happen, which is sure to raise questions as to whether Costas will be able to return to the anchor desk before the Games wrap. Last Friday, NBC’s Olympics EP Jim Bell brushed off press suggestions the network might be ready to  “shut down” Costas as its primetime anchor. “Getting into next week, it may become a topic of conversation, but we’re not there,” Bell said Friday.

NBC is still saying “day to day” in response to questions about Costas’s condition and odds of return.

In various interviews last week, Costas said he feels okay but can’t come back to work because of the specific nature of his eye infection — in some reports suggesting studio lighting, and makeup, may have exacerbated his condition.

H/T Deadline