After their Thursday Night Football game, reality hit the Las Vegas Raiders just when things were starting to look up for them. The Los Angeles Rams defeated them 17-16 after the Raiders blew a 16-3 lead. This is the fourth time this season that the Raiders have let a 13-point lead slip away. According to Josh Dubow of the Associated Press, the Raiders are the first team since 1930 to lose four games after leading by double digits at halftime. Clearly, Josh McDaniels has made a wonderful first impression on Raider Nation. In the Raiders’ defense, though, the officials took the spotlight once again. At some point, Raiders fans (and now the media) are wondering if defensive end Maxx Crosby will ever get a call in his favor.
Maxx Crosby was held all night; how about the referees calling that?
We could go on and on about this loss, but something was clear during this collapse. Personally, I don’t like to blame the referees, but how can you not after witnessing last night’s game? And no, we’re not referring to Jerry Tillery’s foolish and costly penalty during the Rams’ final drive. This story is about how Maxx Crosby was being strangled all night long by the Rams but couldn’t get a call.
It appeared as though the referees followed the NFL’s script by refraining from penalizing Rams right tackle Rob Havenstein for holding. Havenstein was only stopping Crosby by hugging and tackling him. However, Crosby was being held in the end zone by his helmet during the opening play of the Rams’ eventual game-winning drive. The Raiders would have earned a safety as a result, ending the contest. But the officials made no calls. Every time a play was replayed after that, Crosby was being held, much to everyone’s surprise. It seemed like the referees lost their penalty flag, as they weren’t calling anything.
This problem transcends the Raiders. For years, the NFL has struggled with a referee issue that they are unable to resolve. Every single game, every great pass rusher is blatantly held, and they rarely ever call it. It’s time to hold these refs responsible because they keep ruining games.
Even the media has had enough of this…Â
Crosby is a player who is generally well-liked. He was even recently named a nominee for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award by the league office. Strangely enough, he’s still not getting any calls. During last night’s game, several in the media pointed out the injustice being perpetrated on Crosby. In particular, you had Rich Eisen and Bill Simmons sharing their opinions, both pointing out the painfully obvious.
Has anyone made a 2-min video yet of all the times Maxx Crosby was tackled or horse-collared during the final Rams drive last night?
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) December 9, 2022
Without doubt @CrosbyMaxx is being held every snap.
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) December 9, 2022
*Top Photo: A to Z Sports