Getty Las Vegas Raiders DE Maxx Crosby.
Fresh off a historic 3-0 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the Las Vegas Raiders may need to change their thinking heading into the final stretch of the season. It was the lowest-score game in an indoor stadium in NFL history and it’s clear the team has major issues on offense that need to be addressed in the offseason.
Star running back Josh Jacobs and defensive end Maxx Crosby were both banged up during the game. With little left to play for this season, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur believes that both players should be shut down for the season.
“When Josh Jacobs limped off the field to the locker room at the end of the third quarter, I thought that should be it,” Tafur wrote in a December 11 column. “Jacobs is a tough guy, but there is no reason for him to play again for the Las Vegas Raiders this season. And he should take Maxx Crosby with him.
“Crosby is playing with a bad knee and is a maniac so he still had two sacks in the 3-0 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday afternoon. But there was a moment when he was slow getting off the grass and came out for a play, and risking the franchise player to spray some cologne on a 5-8 season makes no sense.”
Crosby, who signed a four-year, $94 million contract last year, is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate and has a career-high 13.5 sacks this season. It’d be tough for the coaching staff to convince him to call it a season but his knee is clearly not healthy right now. The Raiders are tied for the third-worst record in the AFC and there are only four games left.
Would Maxx Crosby Accept Getting Shut Down?
The idea of shutting down Maxx Crosby makes sense but the actual practice of it is more complicated. He has never missed an NFL game before and was the first player this season to play after being listed as doubtful before a game.
Crosby is having a career season and could be in the mix to win his first Defensive Player of the Year award. The Raiders also aren’t technically eliminated from the playoffs yet despite being far back in the standings.
Convincing Crosby to not play the rest of the season wouldn’t be easy. He’s a tenacious competitor who prides himself on always being available. Even if the Raiders want to shut him down, it’s difficult to imagine he’d willingly go along with it.
THAT’S 50 FOR NO. 98 🦅
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Maxx Crosby Talks Loss
The Raiders defense put on a masterclass against the Vikings. They held the offense to just three points, had five sacks and eight tackles for loss. That still wasn’t enough as the Raiders’ offense was shutout.
Maxx Crosby spoke about the loss after the game.
“If you’re able to go on the field and you’re not playing to your fullest because of losing or because the season’s not going exactly our way, then that’s a shame on you,” Crosby said during his December 10 postgame media availability. “I don’t think that’s what we have in this locker room.
“Regardless, obviously, it sucks. … We hate losing. I hate losing. I’m sick of it. I can say it over and over and over again, but I’ve got to find ways to get better personally to help us win more games and, as a team, we’ve just got to keep finding ways to improve.”
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Insider Urges Raiders to Shut Down $94 Million Star for Rest of Season