Getty Images Sunday was a bad day for the knees of Buccaneers linebackers. Monday brought confirmation that Kwon Alexander tore his ACL and there are also multiple reports that Jack Cichy has been diagnosed with the same injury. Cichy is no stranger to serious injuries. The sixth-round pick missed a big chunk of the 2016 season with a torn pectoral muscle and didn’t play at all last season because of a torn ACL. This year’s tear is in the other knee, but it’s another long rehab process for the rookie. Cichy’s loss will be felt more on special teams than defense. He’d played over half the special teams snaps this year, but only played six snaps on defense. He recorded four tackles in his six appearances.<doc-sep>The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have lost not one, but two linebackers to torn ACLs thanks to Sunday’s overtime win over the Cleveland Browns. In addition to starter Kwon Alexander, Bucs rookie Jack Cichy also suffered the season-ending knee injury, per The Athletic’s Greg Auman: Bucs LBs Kwon Alexander and Jack Cichy both suffered torn ACLs in Sunday’s game, both done for the season. Cichy’s is not same knee he tore ACL in last year at Wisconsin. — Greg Auman (@gregauman) October 22, 2018 As Auman points out, Cichy suffered the same injury to his other knee while at Wisconsin. A sixth-round pick in the 2018 NFL draft, Cichy was a key reserve for the Bucs who would have provided depth in Alexander’s absence, in addition to special teams help.<doc-sep>The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' linebacker position took a major hit in Sunday's win over Cleveland, both in terms of volume and on-field leadership. Buccaneers Head Coach Dirk Koetter confirmed on Monday that both Kwon Alexander and Jack Cichy will miss the rest of the season due to knee injuries suffered in the 26-23 overtime victory. Alexander sustained a torn ACL just before halftime and Cichy, filling in on defense because his veteran teammate was sidelined, did the same in the third quarter. MRI examinations on Monday confirmed the suspected diagnosis for both linebackers. Alexander was injured just two days after he was named one of the Buccaneers' five captains for the season. His misfortune came at the end of perhaps his best half of football in 2018, as he had already racked up seven tackles and a pass defensed. It was Alexander who nearly sacked Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield and flushed him from the pocket on the play that Lavonte David forced a fourth-down fumble. "[It's] unfortunate," said Koetter. "Kwon was playing so well and he's the heart and soul of our defense. It's just very unfortunate. Our locker room at halftime was extremely emotional last night. Kwon came out of the training room right about the time we were getting ready to go back on the field. It was emotional. You can tell that the guys really care. Kwon talked to the team there for a couple minutes right as we were going back on the field." Cichy, a sixth-round pick out of Wisconsin in this year's draft, had primarily played on special teams through the first five games of the season, contributing three tackles. He had seen two snaps on defense in Week Four when the Buccaneers fell well behind Chicago, and was on his fourth defensive snap on Sunday when he was injured. He recorded his first career defensive tackle earlier in the game. Cichy also missed his entire senior season at Wisconsin due to a knee injury. Alexander is not only a team captain but one of the Buccaneers' most productive defenders. He will finish the season with 45 tackles, currently just two behind David for the team lead, along with six tackles for loss, one sack, two quarterback pressures, two passes defensed and two forced fumbles. After his injury on Sunday, starting strongside linebacker Adarius Taylor slid into the middle. The Buccaneers currently have two other linebackers on the roster in Cameron Lynch and Devante Bond. Lynch and Bond are two of Tampa Bay's best special teams players but neither has played extensively on defense. In addition, it would be difficult for any player to fill Alexander's leadership role on the field and in the locker room. "What the players love about Kwon…is just his passion for playing football," said Koetter. "Kwon goes hard every play and he wears his emotion on his sleeve. He's a terrific competitor and he brings energy to our defense. We would always like guys to communicate more but Kwon's a talker out there. He's the guy that's trying to amp everybody up."<doc-sep>
TAMPA — An MRI performed on Bucs middle linebacker Kwon Alexander's left knee confirmed what the team feared, that he suffered a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament tear. Alexander was injured on the second-to-last play of the first half in Sunday's 26-23 overtime win over the Cleveland Browns at Raymond James Stadium. He fell to the ground while chasing Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, immediately writhing on the grass while holding his knee. Alexander, one of the team's two defensive team captains, left the field under his own power and into the locker room. RELATED: More Bucs coverage Adarius Taylor saw increased playing time at middle linebacker on Sunday in Alexander's absence. Taylor made six tackles and recorded a sack in the game. The Bucs also lost linebacker Jack Cichy to an ACL tear. Cichy was injured in the second half of Sunday's game and needed to be helped off the field. Cichy also had an MRI performed that confirmed the injury. The Bucs defense was already without defensive linemen Gerald McCoy and Vinny Curry. "You've got to have next-man-up mentality," linebacker Lavonte David said after Sunday's game. "Kwon is a big part of this defense. We also were missing other key guys up front with Gerald and Vinny. So it was big. Defensive line stepped up. AT came in and played backup, and Jack came in. Those guys stepped up and filled the void, and that's what you've got to do. You never know when you're names going to get called and those guys had their names called today." Contact Eduardo A. Encina at eencina@tampabay.com. Follow @EddieintheYard.