LAS VEGAS – Here at Super Bowl week in the NFL, the Raiders’ Maxx Crosby has been one of the host team’s most visible presences. And it should come as no surprise that when it comes to the team he is rooting for in the Big Game on Sunday, it’s the … Chiefs?
OK, maybe that is a surprise. The Chiefs are the Raiders’ biggest historical rival and, certainly, Crosby has made no bones about his fondness for trash-talking quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the Kansas City gang over the years.
That, it turns out, is why Crosby wants to see the Chiefs take home the Super Bowl LVIII trophy for the second year in a row and the third time in the last five years. If their big rival has the championship in tow, it will make things all the sweeter when the Raiders knock the Chiefs off.
“Selfishly, I want the Chiefs to win so we can be the ones to take them down and take them off that pedestal,” Crosby said to the NFL Network on Wednesday, per NFL.com.
‘Ultimate Respect’ for Chiefs
Certainly, on the surface, it’s a long way to go for the Raiders on that front after an 8-9 season. Couple that with two playoff appearances in 22 years, and zero playoff wins in that span, and the notion of challenging the Chiefs at anything seems ludicrous.
But the Raiders got their act together after firing coach Josh McDaniels at the end of October, turning a wayward 3-5 season into a respectable 5-4 finish. After the Raiders handed the reins to coach Antonio Pierce, they became a more settled team, one that played disciplined football (they led the league in fewest penalties against) focused on ball-control offense and a ferocious defense that put up big sack and turnover numbers.
That included, of course, a Week 16 game in Kansas City in which the Raiders might have played their best game of the year, coming away with a 20-14 win. That game lent some credence to the notion that the Raiders might not be too far off from legitimately challenging the Chiefs in the AFC West.
“I take it really personal,” Crosby said. “I’ve got the ultimate respect for Mahomes and Chris Jones and all those guys, but they’re the ones standing in our way. So, we’re looking forward to seeing them again next season.”
Raiders’ Maxx Crosby: ‘We’re Going to Have Fun’
Much of whether the Raiders can truly compete with the Chiefs will come down how their offseason hires play out. The Raiders listened to Crosby’s pleas and kept Pierce on as head coach, but added some to the staff—most notably GM Tom Telesco and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy—who got a lukewarm reception, at best. Pierce also hired veterans Jim Caldwell and Marvin Lewis to the staff.
Crosby just hopes that the identity forged in the last half of the season under Pierce remains the same.
“I want everyone to walk in this building excited to come out here and get to work,” Crosby said. “And we’re going to have fun. We’re going to obviously work hard, but we’re going to have fun while we do it. That’s what being a Raider is, we’re going to do it our way. There (are) 31 teams, there’s one Raiders, and we’re going to do it our way, and we’re going to embrace that.”
Comments
Raiders’ Maxx Crosby Reveals ‘Personal’ Reason He’s Backing Rival Chiefs in SB