Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby made sure his entrance at Gillette Stadium had a distinctly Boston flavor before Sunday’s Week 5 matchup with the New England Patriots.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss posted video of Crosby arriving at the stadium in a Larry Bird Boston Celtics jersey, pairing one of the NFL’s most recognizable pass rushers with one of New England’s most recognizable sports legends.
It was an eye-catching choice from a visiting star who will spend the afternoon trying to make life difficult for Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. The pregame look may have been a salute to Bird, but once the game starts, New England’s attention will be fixed on No. 98.
Crosby Brings Larry Bird Look to Gillette Stadium
Crosby’s choice landed naturally in Foxborough, where Bird is a defining figure in thenNBA and Boston sports history.
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame credits Bird with three NBA championships, three MVP awards, 12 All-Star selections and two NBA Finals MVP awards during his career with the Celtics. His No. 33 was raised to the rafters after he retired in 1992.
There was no immediate indication Crosby intended the jersey as anything beyond a nod to a basketball icon, but the image gave Patriots-Raiders a little extra pregame personality. A Raiders captain showing up in the colors of a Boston legend is the kind of detail that stands out before a matchup with far more serious implications on the field.
Crosby heads into the game as the centerpiece of the Raiders defense and one of the most expensive edge defenders in football. Over the Cap lists his current extension at $106.5 million with $62.5 million fully guaranteed.
His production has backed up the billing. PFF credits Crosby with 25 pressures through four games, fourth among edge defenders, along with a 90.0 overall defensive grade. He also has three sacks, nine quarterback hits and 13 hurries by PFF’s charting.
Patriots Know Where Crosby Will Be — Everywhere
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel made the challenge clear earlier in the week when asked how New England would prepare for Crosby moving around the Raiders front.
“Maxx will go wherever he wants to go, and he will do whatever he wants to do,” Vrabel said Wednesday. He added that the Patriots will “have to know where he is on every single play.”
New England’s own Week 5 game-plan breakdown identified veteran right tackle Morgan Moses against Crosby as one of the matchup’s biggest pressure points. The Patriots noted that Crosby can affect both the pass and run games and suggested New England could lean on chips and moving pockets to keep him from wrecking drives.
The Raiders have helped amplify that threat with an aggressive pressure package. According to the Patriots’ preview, Las Vegas entered Week 5 using Cover 0 at an NFL-high 10.3% rate and generating pressure on 37.7% of opponent dropbacks.
That puts another test in front of Maye after New England’s road win over Buffalo. The quarterback showed better rhythm in that victory, but turnovers are a worry.
And Crosby is exactly the type of defender capable of turning a small protection mistake into a game-changing play.
Patriots See Maxx Crosby Arrive in Jersey of Celtics Legend