Las Vegas Raiders: 4 bold predictions after the 2021 bye week
No. 4: Maxx Crosby wins DPOY
Maxx Crosby is not only much improved from last season, but he is also playing like the best defensive player in the NFL. Crosby went into the bye week leading the league in both quarterback hits and pressures.
He also leads the Raiders with five sacks.
The Raiders’ pass rush has been completely revamped, going from one of the worst units in the league since trading Khalil Mack to one of the best, seemingly overnight. Las Vegas is second in the entire league in pressure rate, yet is dead last in blitz rate. That is the mark of a great pass rush.
And it cannot be understated how much of that has to do with Maxx Crosby.
Crosby will go on to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year, joining Khalil Mack as just the second Raider to win the award since Lester Hayes in 1980. While there are plenty of other supremely talented defensive players in the NFL, and Trevon Diggs is intercepting every pass that comes near him, no defensive player is affecting their team’s success as much as Crosby.
Along with Crosby’s superstar development, the Raiders defense has become a top 20 unit for the first time in a decade. It is no surprise that, along with that statistic, the Raiders are winning. When all is said and done with the 2021-22 NFL season, Maxx Crosby will bring the hardware back to Las Vegas and be named defensive player of the year.