The Las Vegas Raiders dealt with their fair share of setbacks throughout the course of a disappointing 2020 NFL season.
Not only did injuries take their toll on both sides of the ball, but their violations of the NFL’s COVID-19 policy also led to players consistently being ruled out. One of the few silver linings was the durability displayed by defensive end Maxx Crosby.
Crosby finished the 2020 campaign as the only defensive player on Las Vegas to start in all 16 games. He managed to do the same as a rookie when he established himself as one of the biggest steals of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Crosby admittedly holds himself accountable for being as durable as they come, via Levi Edwards of the team’s official website:
“That’s something I pride myself on, being a tough individual,” said Maxx Crosby. “This whole season I’ve been banged up and had little things bothering me, but there’s nothing that’s going to take me off the field unless I absolutely can’t run or do what I can do on the field. (The Raiders) are getting somebody who can play their ass off every single game and play no matter what.”
Crosby added that while the defense may have stumbled through the year, he was happy to end things on a high note with a win over the Denver Broncos in Week 17:
“As a defense as a whole, we have to be locked in from start to finish. I think we have good moments, but then there’s lack of focus, lack of detail and lack of intensity at times.”
“I give our guys a lot of credit. This year wasn’t exactly what we expected, but I’m glad we got to finish it off the right way and get a win here.”
Crosby’s comments are indicative of his emergence as a bonafide leader in the locker room for this defense that is still a work in progress. This will give the Raiders something to build on when they surely address this group’s weaknesses in the offseason.
Crosby made the most of his activity by once again leading the team in sacks for a second straight season with seven. He also managed to end things with a bang by blocking two field goals to secure the win versus the Broncos in the season finale.
Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has shared plenty of high praise for Crosby’s performance in his first two seasons and will be relying on him as an integral piece of their rebuild on defense.
