The Raiders may be ready to make a subtle but meaningful change with Maxx Crosby.
Through five games, Crosby has only been credited with two sacks, but the deeper numbers paint a very different picture. His Pro Football Focus grade ranks fourth among edge rushers, and he’s tied for fourth in the league with 30 quarterback pressures.
Only Aidan Hutchinson, Dallas Turner and Greg Rousseau have more, with Rousseau sitting at 35. The Raiders will see Rousseau on Sunday.
The issue isn’t that Crosby isn’t affecting the pocket. It’s that offenses are making a clear point of keeping tabs on him, and the rest of Las Vegas’ defensive front isn’t making opponents pay for the extra attention.
That’s why Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter believes the Raiders are preparing to shake things up in Week 6 against the Buffalo Bills.
“The Patriots, they came to the line, and they always knew where Maxx was going to be. They always knew where Maxx was going to be and they never had to put any thought into it.” Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast on Wednesday.
“I expect the Raiders to move Maxx Crosby around… I mentioned to Klint, the Patriots came out and their whole mantra was, ‘We’re going to triple and double-team Maxx. We’re going to chip him,'” Carpenter continued.
“I know that the Patriots were like, ‘We know Maxx is always static. He’s going to be on the quarterback’s right.
And there were some people around the NFL that wondered if maybe the Raiders should move him around a little bit, create a little bit of confusion. I agree.
I asked Klint about it Monday and I can tell you that I expect that. That’s my expectation of the staff.
It’s my expectation of the way they watch film. They’re not stupid.
I do expect us to see Maxx moving around a little bit.”
The numbers backing Crosby’s disruption are real, but the Raiders still need more production that shows up in the sack column. Quarterback hits and pressures matter, but finishing plays is the difference between bothering a quarterback and changing a game.
That was part of the problem against the Patriots. Drake Maye was pressured only twice in his first 17 drop backs, a stark contrast from the week before, when the Bills got to him 21 times.
For Las Vegas, the answer may be as simple as getting Crosby out of the same old spot and making offenses find him instead of pointing to him pre-snap. If that happens, the Raiders might finally give their pass rush a better chance to turn pressure into actual takedowns.
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One of the more interesting spots to watch is on special teams, where the return game could see another adjustment if the coaches decide they need a different look. Up front, the offensive line still carries some uncertainty as Jackson Powers-Johnson works back toward form after missing time, and the left side remains an area the Raiders have to keep tightening if they want to give their offense a cleaner path against a difficult opponent. [Read more 🡒]