Buccaneers Lose Starter to Knee Injury

Not ideal for the Bucs on defense…

Oct 25, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker YaYa Diaby (0) looks on before the game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's football weather in Tampa Bay as the Buccaneers take on the Atlanta Falcons.

Since kickoff, the rain has been coming down nonstop and has led to some sloppy play by both teams.

The Bucs have had a botched snap or fumble four times, while Michael Penix Jr. has thrown three interceptions for Atlanta.

The Buccaneers' running game and defensive ability to take the ball away have been at the forefront of the game

Even with how well those two aspects are playing, the defense took a bullet in this one as outside linebacker Yaya Diaby has been ruled out for the rest of the game with a knee injury.

Yaya Diaby OUT With Knee Injury vs. Falcons

According to our boots on the ground in Tampa, Falcons tight end Nick Muse fell into Diaby. And despite trying to work through the injury on the side, he will be unable to go the rest of the way.

Diaby is now OUT for the remainder of the game. https://t.co/dSf5RrQhME

— Logan B. Robinson (@LogansTwitty) November 1, 2026

Diaby had been extremely underwhelming to begin his contract year, but exploded last week against the Carolina Panthers for three sacks. He also has 11 tackles and one interception.

He finally looked to be turning his own personal season around, and the hope is that nothing serious is going on inside his knee that could cause him to miss an extended period of time.

We will hear from head coach Todd Bowles following the game on Diaby's status, but likely won't have a true understanding of the seriousness of it until further tests are done on Monday.

With Diaby now out for the rest of the game, the Bucs will rotate the likes of Anthony Nelson and David Walker.

Walker has been extremely useful against the pass, but with the weather, Nelson might be better suited to stop the run game led by Bijan Robinson.

The good news is that the Bucs haven't had to generate much pressure due to the weather and field conditions, so being down one player won't necessarily have a huge impact on the game.

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