Through two games, the Las Vegas Raiders are tied for the league lead with eight sacks and are second in total pressures and pressure rate. This is paired with a blitz rate that is tied for the lowest in the league. That means the defensive front and secondary are getting it done, led by Maxx Crosby.
Crosby's numbers don't leap off the page right now, though, with 1.5 sacks, four quarterback hits and 11 quarterback pressures through two contests. In Week 2 against the Los Angeles Chargers, he had just three pressures and one tackle with no sacks, but his presence was impactful as always.
It's safe to say that the safety that extended the Raiders' margin of victory was caused by him, and there was nothing on the stat sheet to show it. Chargers right tackle Joe Alt also had four penalties in Week 2, as Crosby had him in a mental blender at times.
Again, things that don't dent the stat sheet for "Mad Maxx" but are impactful. At some point, a correction should come, and Crosby will start piling up numbers in line with his track record. That could easily happen in Week 3 against the Kelvin Banks-less New Orleans Saints.
Big injury for Saints' Kelvin Banks puts Raiders' pass rush in position to eat again in Week 3
The Saints beat the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2, but they came out of the game with a critical injury. On Monday morning, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport initially reported that left tackle Kelvin Banks was believed to have suffered a high ankle sprain and could miss 4-6 weeks.
Later in the day, Rapoport reported that Banks suffered a severe high ankle sprain, is expected to have surgery and will be out indefinitely. Simply put, he won't be suiting up for New Orleans on Sunday when the Silver and Black come to town.
Crosby has still mostly lined up on the left edge through two games this season, so he was unlikely to see a lot of Banks on Sunday. Still, Kwity Paye, who has quickly become the threat opposite Crosby that the Raiders have yearned for, will face replacement left tackle Asim Richards.
Richards has started just five games in his career, and only one at left tackle. On the other side, Crosby is in line to match up mostly against Saints right tackle Taliese Fuaga. The 2024 first-rounder is a bottom-10 offensive tackle by PFF, with a bottom-five pass-blocking grade among 67 qualifiers.
That sound you just heard is Crosby screaming in excitement after watching tape of Fuaga, knowing he can thoroughly dominate an offensive tackle who isn't starter-caliber.
The Saints might need to help both of their offensive tackles during Sunday's game with double-teams, or somehow scheme away from a vulnerability on one edge or the other. Running the ball effectively would help, and the Raiders have been a middle-of-the-pack run defense so far.
But with Banks out this week and beyond, the Saints' offensive line has lost one of its best players. The domino effect creates a vulnerability that Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Leonard is well-equipped to fully exploit with the players he has at his disposal in Week 3.
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