Let's ignore the fact that the Las Vegas Raiders lost to the Chicago Bears in heartbreaking fashion this past week. It was rough. But, at the end of the day, these guys are professional athletes, and there's a brotherhood there which we don't often talk about.
After the hard-fought contest between the two teams, Raiders star pass rusher Maxx Crosby had lots to say on the latest episode of his podcast, The Rush. Crosby was first asked to respond to Bears quarterback Caleb Williams calling him "the best player" the second-year pro had played against so far in his career.
"Hearing that from a really good player is cool. Our matchup was all day, you know what I mean? All day we were going back and forth. He's a competitor, bro," Crosby said.
Maxx Crosby hands Caleb Williams his flowers in the aftermath of a loss
In a game where Crosby absolutely manhandled the Bears' offensive line and single-handedly wrecked Chicago's offense, especially in the first half, these are impressive words to come out of his mouth. Raiders fans saw complete and utter domination for most of the game.
But, Crosby had to get honest about what he sees in the young quarterback.
"I'll give it to him. He didn't back down. He kept getting back up and kept trying to make plays. Yeah, he definitely earned my respect," Crosby went on.
He's got one thing right. Crosby continued to come after Williams and that offensive line, but the Bears quarterback only continued to fight back. You've got to give props where they are due.
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Despite finishing with five pressures, four hurries and two batted balls in the game, per Pro Football Focus, Crosby did see Williams escape at times and make some key plays when he needed to.
"He is hard to tackle, you know what I mean. He makes plays happen," Crosby admitted.
It is extremely difficult to come out and say these things after such a crushing loss. Having the game slip away due to a blocked field goal isn't something you see every day, and it's not easily recovered from.
So, again, for Crosby to open up like this and pay his respects says a lot about who he is, not only as a player, but more so as a person and competitor, himself.