Getty Maxx Crosby sacking Justin Herbert.
The 2023 NFL schedule is out and many teams have put out special video commemorating the moment. While teams like the Las Vegas Raiders refrained from making fun of any of their opponents, the Los Angeles Chargers typically go in the opposite direction. One of the team’s recurring bits is posting their opponents as Pop-Tarts.
This year, they decided to go after Maxx Crosby with their Raiders Pop-Tart box cover and called the flavor “filthy ashtray.”
The problem for the Chargers is that Crosby is probably the last player on the Raiders they should be going after. While he didn’t directly call out Los Angeles, he did post the famous clip from “The Last Dance” documentary where Michael Jordan talks about a moment he took personally.
It’s not difficult to connect the dots as this is likely Crosby’s way of putting the Chargers on notice. In his career, the defensive end has 3.5 sacks against Los Angeles and 13 quarterback hits. He’ll likely try to add to those numbers in a big way in 2023. The Raiders will play the Chargers twice so they’ll be plenty of opportunities for Crosby to get his revenge.
Crosby Leads NFL in Pressures Over Last 2 Seasons
Crosby has developed into one of the best defensive players in the NFL over the last two seasons. He may only have 20.5 sacks, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t getting after the quarterback. According to Pro Football Focus, Crosby has had the most quarterback pressures in the NFL over the past two years.
The most QB pressures recorded over the last two seasons 👀
Crosby is among some elite company. He hasn’t been able to get as many sacks as some of his peers but that has more to do with the Raiders defense not helping him out much. The team is consistently among the worst in the NFL at sacking the quarterback so there’s a lot of pressure on Crosby to make plays. If the Raiders’ defense improves, he could see his sack numbers go up in a big way.
Tyree Wilson Excited to Work With Crosby
The Raiders have tried to find Crosby some help for a few years and that didn’t change this year. The team used the No. 7 overall pick on pass rusher Tyree Wilson. If he is as good as Las Vegas hopes he is, they will have one of the best pass rushing duos in the NFL for a very long time. Wilson needs a lot of work but the Raiders are the perfect landing spot for him. He’ll get to learn from Crosby and Chandler Jones.
He’s excited about the chance to work with two pass rushers who have had a lot of success in the league.
“It’s really just them seeing where they can use me,” Wilson told The Athletic’s Tashan Reed. “I’m a versatile player; that’s why they brought me in. I’m smart, so I can learn multiple positions. And with two great pass-rushers in Maxx and Chandler, I’ll be able to refine my technique in my pass-rush game and take it to another level.”
Luckily for Wilson, he won’t have to be a hit on Day 1. Having Jones and Crosby ahead of him will give him time to refine his game without the typical pressure a top-10 pick has to deal with.