The Las Vegas Raiders played sound football through the first four weeks of the 2026 NFL season, leading to a 3-1 record. Moreover, even in the Week 4 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Silver and Black had an opportunity to tie that game and send it to overtime.
Nonetheless, in Week 5 against the New England Patriots, the Raiders played their worst game of the season, leading to a 45-17 loss on Oct. 11. Furthermore, it was a game in which neither the offense nor the defense played well.
As a result, the team has to go back to the drawing board amid their two-game losing streak to avoid losing three straight games. After the loss to the Patriots, Maxx Crosby shared his thoughts on the Raiders’ loss.
“They did a good job,” Crosby told reporters on Oct. 11. “They chipped a lot on longer passes and got the ball out of his hands quickly. They did a good job of doing well on early downs, so we can’t just gear up and rush. Credit to them.
“… We had more penalties than usual. It just wasn’t good enough. There are one-on-one matchups, and sometimes flags get thrown in the back end. That’s just part of the game. We just have to play cleaner, use better technique, and we’ll learn from it and be good.”
Maxx Crosby Urges Raiders to Not Let Loss Linger
Moreover, Crosby shared the message that he has for his teammates heading into Week 6 as the Raiders look to bounce back and stop their losing skid at two games rather than seeing it extend to three games.
“It’s one game,” Crosby added. “It’s not good enough, obviously. We definitely didn’t expect to play that way, but it’s how you respond. That’s the nature of the beast. You have to show up every single day and get better. It’s on all of us, everybody, players and coaches. We all hold each other accountable, and we have to find ways to get better.”
The Raiders will be looking for a bounce-back performance when they face the Buffalo Bills in Week 6 on Oct. 18.
Patriots’ Mike Vrabel on Keeping Maxx Crosby Quiet
Meanwhile, New England didn’t allow for Crosby to be a major factor in this game as he had one tackle and zero sacks in the game. After the Patriots’ win, head coach Mike Vrabel shared that his offensive unit didn’t allow the Raiders’ veteran edge rusher to be a factor.
“I’m just proud of our offensive line, and I want to recognize them,” Vrabel told reporters postgame on Oct. 11. “I thought that they understood what the protection was and how to keep the middle of the pocket clean. There was a lot of time for us to progress down the field.
“[The Raiders] run blitz zero, and we blocked it up and were able to hit some plays down the field. That’s a testament to them understanding what they have to be able to do. Guys stepped up. Caleb [Lomu] had to go in there, and everybody, we had all hands on deck.”
Maxx Crosby Makes Feelings Clear After Raiders Lose to Patriots