The Las Vegas Raiders headed into Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season as heavy underdogs against Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens after dropping the team’s first game of the season to the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers on the road at SoFi Stadium. The odds weren’t great for the Raiders to go on the road for a second straight week and take down a legitimate Super Bowl title contender at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, but that’s precisely what they did with some impressive performances by star players on both sides of the football.
Along with veteran wide receiver Davante Adams catching nine passes for 110 receiving yards and a touchdown and rookie tight end Brock Bowers catching nine passes for a career-high 98 receiving yards, superstar defensive end Maxx Crosby showed why he’s so distributive on the football field with a stellar performance that caused havoc for the reigning NFL MVP.
Crosby finished with 2.0 sacks, a pass deflection, six total tackles and four tackles for loss, helping the Raiders pull off perhaps the biggest upset of Week 2 over the Ravens. As a result of his play last weekend, Crosby has been named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week, according to Levi Edwards of Raiders.com.
Maxx Crosby has been named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his showing in the Raiders’ 26-23 victory against the Baltimore Ravens.
The Raiders superstar has now earned this honor five times during his career, and given his current performance, there might be a lot more to follow. He seems to only be getting better and better with more time on the football field for Las Vegas.
Even Jackson couldn’t help but praise Crosby after the game because he changed the game and made it incredibly difficult for the two-time NFL MVP to do what he does on the gridiron.
“[Maxx Crosby] was just being an impactful player – the high motor guy [that] he was – and he got two sacks today,” Jackson said. “He was just doing what he was doing.”
With this win, the Raiders have turned a lot of heads around the league. The defense led by Crosby appears to be the real deal, while the offense led by veteran newcomer Gardner Minshew seems to be coming around after a disappointing showing against the Chargers in Week 1.
In Week 3, the Raiders will host the lowly Carolina Panthers at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. They hope to get above .500 and win a second straight game.
