While the Las Vegas Raiders have a number of storied rivals, there are few that compare to the Kansas City Chiefs. With the Chiefs coming off a Super Bowl victory and the Raiders reinvigorating their entire roster, that rivalry looks to be reignited in 2020.
Last year, the rivalry was a bit one-sided as the Chiefs outplayed the Raiders during both of their matchups. Despite his otherwise excellent rookie season, Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby failed to sack Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
While Crosby acknowledged the challenge that Mahomes poses as a supremely skilled player, he says that he remains anygry about the missed opportunity, via Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Bay Area:
“I was close a few times,” Crosby said on Bleacher Report’s “The Lefkoe Show.” “It pissed me off pretty much. Pretty much every second after that game was over, both times, I was just mad and blah blah blah, whatever.
“He’s a different type of player, too. He’s one of those guys. He just backpedals, he’ll throw the ball from weird angles, it’s not like sacking a regular quarterback. Yeah, I’m definitely looking forward to sacking him. It needs to happen. It’s definitely going to happen.”
There is no doubt that Crosby will be a cornerstone of the Raiders defensive gameplan for the Chiefs this year. He proved that last season, finishing with 10 sacks, 14 quarterback hits and 16 tackles for loss, which were team highs across the board.
Of course, the Raiders brought in some help for Crosby across nearly every other defensive position. Those acquisitions were highlighted by Cory Littleton, but every move the Raiders made this offseason was with the Chiefs in mind.
Crosby took his commitment to sacking Mahomes to the next level, warning the quarterback of what is to come:
“You can do whatever you want,” Crosby told Lefkoe. “Just know I’m coming, no doubt.”
The Chiefs should be on high alert after comments like that from Crosby. Hopefully he can make good on his word, although that will be easier said than done. Mahomes was sacked only 17 times last season, amongst the lowest for starting quarterbacks.
Additionally, the Chiefs are running things back for another title run, meaning their strong offensive line will be back in 2020. The Chiefs also added a familiar face after signing former Raiders running back DeAndre Washington to join their talented backfield.
Either way, Crosby’s will power has been one of his more formidable traits during his brief tenure with the Raiders. With further training this offseason, he should be able to get to Mahomes in 2020.
