Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby has been playing like a man possessed, shouldering the load on a mostly bad defense. As he continues to round out his season with impressive numbers, many people are taking notice as 2022 draws closer to the end. Chris Long, the son of Raiders legend Howie Long and a former NFL player, is one of those watching.
Speaking on his show, “The Green Light,” in a clip via “The 33rd Team,” Long made some excellent points regarding Crosby’s play. Most notably, Long stated in so many words that Crosby is getting slept on as far as consideration for Defensive Player of the Year. The two-time Super Bowl champion commented that the Raiders are entering a favorable stretch of games that will benefit Crosby individually as much as it will the team.
“One guy I haven’t heard talked about in the Defensive Player of the Year race has been Maxx Crosby. I only mentioned that because he’s top four in the league in sacks for pass rushers who often win this award. We’re talking about sacks; he’s got 10.5, he’s got a great opportunity to pad his stats over the next couple of weeks. He’s top five in the league is sacks and hits, those sacks are coming in clutch moments on third down. He’s top ten in pressures and he’s also accountable for 65% of his team’s sacks.”
Maxx Crosby has been carrying the Raiders’ defense this season
Simply put, Crosby is carrying Patrick Graham’s defense. More importantly, it shouldn’t be to the detriment of Crosby in terms of award consideration. If anything, it points to how much of a dominant campaign Crosby is having. Imagine where the Raiders would be without No. 98. As Long mentioned, the fact that Crosby is putting up this level of production in spite of the lack of help around him is impressive.
“When you’re on a bad defense it’s not like things go necessarily better for you. I would argue that it makes things even tougher for him to get home and he’s done that a high rate in important situations.”
As the Raiders prepare to host the Los Angeles Chargers and then hit “the road” against the Rams in L.A., Crosby must be licking his chops at these opportunities. Being on a poor defense, or even worse, a bad team, plays a part in the voting process. Of course, most educated fans know this shouldn’t be the case. Furthermore, there have been exceptions. Long pointed to T.J. Watt last year, who won it despite being on a bad Pittsburgh Steelers defense. In other words, there’s plenty of hope for Crosby. You wonder as a Raiders fan if Long’s father feels the same way about Crosby, right?
*Top Photo: AP Photo/Ben Margot