A Maxx Crosby injury appears to be causing the Las Vegas Raiders standout to experience something new this week as the team tackles the Chiefs on Sunday night. He’ll be watching from the stands due to a knee injury.
Crosby is classified as questionable on the Raiders’ injury report after missing all of practice this week.
“Crosby failed to practice in any capacity throughout the week and is trending toward his first absence of the season,” noted the folks at Q4, which offers news and stats for Heavy Sports. Crosby has 10.5 sacks through 11 games, so if he sits out Sunday, Patrick Mahomes will likely have more time to make plays from the pocket for Kansas City.”
In fact, it would be the first time a Maxx Crosby injury has forced him to miss a game in his career, which has spanned 77 games since his draft in 2019. This includes 70 consecutive games in the starting lineup.
And, while “doubtful” does not always equal “out,” it is true that players designated as doubtful do not always play. According to NFL regulations, the definition of dubious has changed from “only a 25% chance of playing” to “Unlikely to play.”
Maxx Crosby Injury Especially Tough in Chiefs Week
It’s especially unfortunate that this Maxx Crosby injury will preclude another Patrick Mahomes meeting, and not just because the Raiders will be without their greatest pass-rushing weapon while playing perhaps the best quarterback in the game and possibly the finest overall athlete in the league.
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The ferocity of Crosby and Mahomes’ animosity was on full display during the Netflix show “Quarterback,” which showed a pumped-up Mahomes going after Crosby with trash language during a Week 5 triumph over the Raiders after the Chiefs rallied from a 17-0 hole.
Raiders Need to Summon Energy on Defense
“I mean, I don’t like playing against him because I know what type of player he is and the mindset he comes in with,” Mahomes told Chiefs Wire this week. “But, no, I don’t talk to a lot of scum. I simply try to stay motivated and go out and win. And he is the same. He wants to win as much as everyone else. That is why I hold such high regard for him. But, at the end of the day, we’re competitors, and competitors compete.”
Raiders coach Antonio Pierce is well aware of the impact a Maxx Crosby injury would have on the defense. They’ve only allowed 38 points in three games since Pierce took over as interim coach, including 20 points (and three turnovers) against a high-powered Miami offense.
They’re generally accomplishing it with mediocre personnel. Except for Crosby, of course. Crosby is the only player on the Raiders defense to rank in the Top 10 at his position (he is the No. 4 edge rusher in the league), and one of only two to rank in the Top 20 (linebacker Robert Spillane is 12th).
Crosby’s intensity, on the other hand, lifts the Raiders defense as a whole. Pierce is aware of this.
“I’ll keep trying to match his energy, but at a game, on that field, on that grass, you could see the effort.” “He plays recklessly,” Pierce stated earlier this month. “He sacrifices his body for the sake of his team.” It’s contagious, and what we’ve done, Patrick Graham and the defensive staff have done an excellent job of teaching everyone that they need to match it. All 11 players must match Maxx Crosby.”
But, for the first time in five years, the Raiders will have to find a way to equal that enthusiasm on the sideline.
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter for Heavy.com who focuses on the NBA and NFL. He has been writing for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the Sporting News’ lead NBA reporter. Deveney’s nonfiction books include “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley Became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More information on Sean Deveney
