Las Vegas Raiders: Even in defeat, Maxx Crosby proves he the best in the game

DENVER, COLORADO - NOVEMBER 20: Maxx Crosby #98 of the Las Vegas Raiders sniffs smelling salts during an NFL game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos at Empower Field At Mile High on November 20, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. The Las Vegas Raiders won in overtime (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
DENVER, COLORADO - NOVEMBER 20: Maxx Crosby #98 of the Las Vegas Raiders sniffs smelling salts during an NFL game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos at Empower Field At Mile High on November 20, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. The Las Vegas Raiders won in overtime (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)

The Las Vegas Raiders may have lost to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night, but once again, Maxx Crosby proved he was the best in the game.

Throughout a tough 13-game season so far for the Las Vegas Raiders, there have been very few constants. Outside of the negatives, like losing games they had no reason to, some positives have come to light, starting with the defensive side of the ball.

Defensive end Maxx Crosby is in his fourth season with the Raiders after being a Day 3 pick of the team back in 2019. That year, they selected a defensive end with the No. 4 overall pick, Clelin Ferrell out of Clemson, but it has been Crosby who has emerged as a top-5 pick.

Now one of the best in the game, Crosby was on full display in front of a national audience on Thursday night, basically being held on every play. Still, he was able to once again make a major impact in the game and going into the home stretch of the season, he is unquestionably one of the best defensive players in the NFL.

The question is, could he take home the Defensive Player of the Year award?

Raiders star looking like a Defensive MVP candidate

The short answer is yes, as Crosby is the kind of player who impacts the game on nearly every play. All offenses have to account for him, and you can see that they have to hold him just to keep him away from the quarterback.

Amazingly, Crosby almost never gets a holding call, and that was very obvious in the loss against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night. You can go online and see numerous pictures of him with an offensive lineman’s arm around his neck, and the fact that it is not called more is almost laughable at this moment.

Despite that, Crosby is fourth in the NFL with 11.5 sacks and ranks first in tackles for a loss. However, his talent goes way beyond the stat sheet, as he is starting to look like a legacy Raider, someone who will go down as one of the best to ever do it in the Silver and Black.

Based on the Raiders’ record, Crosby is a long-short to win Defensive Player of the Year, much like he was snubbed from Rookie of the Year honors a few years back. Still, he is putting together quite a season, and there is no doubt that he is arguably the best defensive player in the game right now.

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