Getty Las Vegas Raiders DE Maxx Crosby staring down Patrick Mahomes.
The Las Vegas Raiders finished second in the AFC West last season but weren’t close to the Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs. The AFC West should be tougher in 2024 with the Los Angeles Chargers hiring Jim Harbaugh as head coach.
The path to the AFC West title will be difficult as ever this season but defensive Maxx Crosby isn’t worried about it. He’s looking forward to the challenges that the division throws at the Raiders.
“I love it,” Crosby said of the competition in the AFC West during his April 15 media availability. “They already know what time it is. I don’t have to say anything about the Chargers, about the Chiefs, about the Broncos. About any team. Anybody that is going to see us, starting Week 1, they know what type of time I’m on. They know what type of time we’re going to be on. So we’re going to see.”
Crosby has made it to the playoffs once in his career but he’s remaining confident. The Raiders ended the season strong with a 3-1 record. All three of those wins came against AFC West teams, including the Chiefs. Las Vegas has proven they can beat every AFC West team but they’ll have to do it consistently.
Nobody’s Planting a Flag on Las Vegas Raiders Logo
The Raiders had to play host to the Chiefs as the Super Bowl was held in Las Vegas last season. Notably, wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling planted a Chiefs flag in the middle of the field at Allegiant Stadium during the Super Bowl.
Maxx Crosby didn’t take offense to it because it was an NFL logo and not the Raiders logo in the middle of the field.
“At the end of the day, he wouldn’t plant a flag in a Raider logo, I guarantee you that,” Crosby said. “I promise you that.”
Crosby isn’t thinking too hard about the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl on his team’s field and he’s confident that nobody will disrespect the Raiders logo going forward.
“If you’re worried about and thinking about the other guys, you’re wasting time and energy,” he said. “It is what it is. Every year, there is a Super Bowl on someone’s field. It happened to be our field. Like I said, nobody is planting a flag on our Raider logo. I can promise you that.”
The Patrick Mahomes v. Maxx Crosby Beef is REAL!!
Las Vegas Raiders Still Looking to Unseat Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs have won the AFC West for eight straight seasons and aren’t slowing down. The Raiders haven’t won the division since 2002. There’s been a lot of trash talk between the Raiders and Chiefs over the years but Maxx Crosby just wants to focus on playing the games.
“At the end of the day, it’s all talk,” Crosby said. “You try to go back and forth and say, ‘Oh, we’re going to do this.’ No. I don’t have to say anything. We’re more than excited, and I’ll leave that for y’all. You can talk about all that other stuff, but it is what it is.”
The road to the AFC West championship runs through Kansas City. The Raiders proved they can compete with the Chiefs in individual games last season but need to be much more consistent if they hope to win the division again.