Maxx Crosby injury update gives Raiders hope (but not the relief they wanted)

The Las Vegas Raiders didn't even put up a fight against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7, as they lost 31-0 to their AFC West counterpart. They are now 2-5 during the 2025 NFL season and have been blown out in three of their seven contests.

Las Vegas entered the game without Brock Bowers, Jakobi Meyers or Kolton Miller, and by the end, Maxx Crosby, Adam Butler and Isaiah Pola-Mao were all sidelined with injuries as well. The team wouldn't have won with any combination of players on Sunday, but these injuries cast an even darker cloud over the building.

Crosby's injury, in particular, is brutal for the team and fan base, as he is the heartbeat of the defense and arguably their biggest gamechanger. Even though the Raiders got a positive update about his injury on Monday, it may not be the relief that they wanted.

Maxx Crosby's injury is not serious, but the details are a bit fuzzy

On Sunday, Crosby was cut blocked by Chiefs tight end Noah Gray, as the crown of his helmet appeared to hit the Raiders' star square on the kneecap. While technically a legal play, fans questioned how clean the hit was, and whether there was any ulterior motive behind diving at Crosby's knee.

Thankfully, he avoided a major injury, as NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that Crosby should be fine going forward, and his being held out against the Chiefs was more precautionary than due to sustaining a major injury.

Carroll also echoed this notion during Monday's press conference, but he threw in an extra tidbit that Raider Nation found interesting.

"Maxx was not full speed yesterday," Carroll said. "He tried, did everything he could, and we had to get him out of there. But he'll be better."

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This quote would indicate that Crosby was not feeling 100% before Sunday's game, and the aforementioned play with Gray may not have played a role. When asked about this very concept, Carroll confirmed that Crosby was hurt prior to the matchup.

"Maxx was hurt before that. He was not at his best, and he just, in a true heroic fashion, tried to go out there and play, and wanted to give it up for his teammates," Carroll said. "He tried, and we needed to get him out. I admire the hell out of the fact, how he approached that, and he did the best he could."

While fans are glad that Crosby's injury is not serious, and he should be ready to go after the Week 8 bye, it is a bit worrisome that he was already hurt before the contest. He was added to the injury report on Friday, but fans did not think it was serious, because Crosby is always dealing with an ailment of some kind.

But watching him sit out of nearly an entire game, against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, no less, did not exactly sit well. Thankfully, he avoided a major injury during the contest, but a lingering knee injury is not exactly great for the star. In an already lost season, the Raiders may have to consider some unsavory alternatives to letting him continually put his body in harm's way.