Oakland Raiders Week 14 X-Factors against the Tennessee Titans
By Matt Holder
Maxx Crosby
From the 107th overall pick to a top 10 rookie, Crosby has put together a very impressive campaign in his first season. With a team-leading seven and a half sacks, he has become Oakland’s best pass rusher and is arguably the best player on the defense. While the Eastern Michigan product has come down to earth since his four sack performance a couple of weeks ago, he has an opportunity for another big day this weekend.
There aren’t many offensive lines in the league that are worse than Tennessee’s in pass protection. The team has allowed a league-high 49 sacks, to go along with the seventh most quarterback hits with 79. Also, the Titans offensive line has the worst adjusted sack rate in the NFL, per Football Outsiders.
Seeing numbers like this should make Crosby very excited about the matchup. The rookie has taken advantage of some poor offensive lines this season and has another opportunity to rack up some stats. While he is a long shot to win, Crosby has put together a strong case for defensive rookie of the year recently, and Sunday is an opportunity to build upon his resume.