Getty Maxx Crosby sacking Patrick Mahomes.
The rivalry between the Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs is at heated as ever and that was evident during Monday Night Football. The Raiders got off to a quick 17-0 lead before the Chiefs came back and won 30-29. Along the way, there were plenty of heated moments.
Perhaps the most notable that happened on the field was when defensive end Maxx Crosby and quarterback Patrick Mahomes walked up to each other and butted helmets while clearly having words for each other.
It’s not clear what the two said to each other but it seems that they weren’t exchanging pleasantries. There was no flag called on the situation as each seemed like mutual participants. Many Chiefs fans believed that Crosby should’ve been called for a penalty but it’s difficult to see how he was any more at fault than Mahomes was.
The Chiefs quarterback even admitted that he was the one who escalated the situation.
“I walked up to him, so it was kind of my own fault,” Mahomes said, via Harold R. Kuntz.
Mahomes on butting heads with Maxx Crosby: “I walked up to him, so it was kind of my own fault.”
Crosby certainly couldn’t have taken it any further as the NFL would always side with the quarterback, especially since the Raiders defensive end is a much bigger man.
Crosby Frustrated With Start to Season
The Raiders are 1-4 but could easily have a much better record considering all of their losses have been by one score. Beating the Chiefs in Kansas City would’ve been a huge statement that the team isn’t dead yet. Unfortunately, they just couldn’t pull it off in the end.
For his part, Crosby is doing everything he can, including sacking Mahomes twice on Monday. He’s a team captain and leader for the team and admits that he’s getting frustrated.
“It’s frustrating, obviously, but the guys worked their tail off from start to finish,” Crosby said after Monday’s game. “I’ve got nothing but respect for these guys in this locker room. I know they are working their ass off. That’s all I can ask for. It’s tough when you have four games that close and don’t come away with a win. We’re going to keep improving and keep working.”
Raiders’ Bad Start Isn’t Due to Crosby
Crosby has been doing everything he can to keep the Raiders afloat. He’s tied for the NFL’s leader in sacks with 6.0. He also has 11 tackles for loss, which is easily the best number in the NFL with second place only having seven. He’s been a force on the defense and is proving to be worth every penny the Raiders paid him in the offseason.
Crosby is squarely in the Defensive Player of the Year race right now. However, voters will likely favor players who are on better teams. At the Raiders’ current pace, they would finish tied for the worst record in the league. Even if Crosby finishes the season with 15.0 sacks and 30 tackles for loss, he won’t get much awards consideration if the team is terrible. Luckily, there’s still time for the Raiders to turn things around. They are about to enter the softest part of their schedule and could go on a winning streak soon.