The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Carolina Panthers 43-13 at Bank of America Stadium in Week Seven. Outside linebacker Yaya Diaby recorded three sacks of Bryce Young, the first three-sack game of his career. The performance brought Diaby’s career total to 22.0 sacks.
Diaby entered the game with 10 quarterback pressures but no sacks during the 2026 season. He recorded his first, second and third sacks of the season against Carolina. Diaby became the first Tampa Bay player with a three-sack performance since Devin White did so in 2020 at Atlanta.
Diaby’s performance anchored a strong defensive effort from Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers recorded 5.0 sacks and four takeaways, their first game with at least 5.0 sacks and at least four takeaways since 2025 at New Orleans. Tampa Bay also recorded at least five sacks in consecutive games for the first time since Weeks 2-3 of the 2020 season.
Diaby turns pressure into sacks
Diaby recorded his first sack in the second quarter on second-and-13. He used a bull rush against Rasheed Walker to reach Young. The play gave Diaby his first sack of the season after he had generated pressure without finishing with a takedown.
His second sack came in the third quarter on second-and-10, again against Walker and Young. Diaby’s third sack came on third down in a combined effort with Calijah Kancey. Kancey attacked inside on a twist, while Diaby dislodged the blocker and forced Young off his spot.
Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles said Diaby had been rushing well in recent weeks despite not converting those pressures into sacks. “He has been rushing good the last couple of weeks it just has not worked out for him,” said Head Coach Todd Bowles. “He finished them yesterday. He has been our most pressure guy without getting the sacks … yesterday the sacks kind of came to fruition like we talked about last week and his growth is understanding what offensive linemen are trying to do to him and having counter attacks.”
Tampa Bay sustains its pass rush
Diaby had recorded 172 pressures through his first four seasons before the Carolina game. His 10 quarterback pressures before Week Seven had not produced a sack during the 2026 season. Against Carolina, he converted that pressure into three finished plays.
Tampa Bay’s five sacks against Carolina followed the team’s 5.0 sacks against Pittsburgh in Week Six. The consecutive five-sack games marked the Buccaneers’ first such stretch since Weeks 2-3 of the 2020 season. The team also paired its five sacks with four takeaways against Carolina.
FSB Take
Diaby’s first career three-sack game gives Tampa Bay an individual breakthrough within a larger defensive surge. The Buccaneers have now recorded at least five sacks in consecutive games and produced five sacks alongside four takeaways against Carolina. Diaby’s ability to turn the pressure he had generated into sacks adds a significant element to Tampa Bay’s defensive production.
Source: Original report