In the fourth quarter of Sunday’s matchup between the Raiders and Chargers, things got a little heated - and a little theatrical - between two guys who know each other well. After converting a crucial third down, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert let out a loud celebration right in the vicinity of Raiders star pass rusher Maxx Crosby. Crosby didn’t take kindly to the outburst and responded by shoving Herbert to the ground, drawing a penalty flag in the process.
But this wasn’t just a random flare-up between opponents. There’s history here.
Crosby and Herbert have faced off plenty over the years, and there’s a mutual respect that’s been built through Pro Bowl appearances and on-field battles. That’s what made the moment sting a little more for Crosby - and why he felt the need to clear the air immediately after.
Speaking on SiriusXM’s Let’s Go! podcast, Crosby walked through the moment and gave some candid insight into what was going through his mind.
“Me and Justin have a long history,” Crosby said. “We’ve battled for years.
And for me, I definitely shouldn’t have reacted that way. But I didn’t appreciate it - a guy I know, we’ve had conversations, gone to Pro Bowls together - he hadn’t said a word all game, and then he’s screaming in my ear after a first down?
Come on, bro.”
Crosby admitted he let the moment get the best of him. He turned around, gave Herbert a shove, and watched the quarterback hit the turf. But in Crosby’s eyes, Herbert sold it.
“If you watch the film, not one of his O-linemen came and did anything to me,” Crosby pointed out. “Nobody did nothing because they knew he flopped. I guess he got me.”
Still, Crosby didn’t let the moment pass without trying to address it face-to-face. He walked right up to Herbert after the play and tried to squash the tension.
“I walked up to him, I’m like, ‘Come on bro, you’re better than that,’” Crosby said. “He was kind of looking away, and I made him dap me up.
I told him, ‘Don’t be doing that. If you’re gonna talk your shit, come talk it to me.’”
That’s Crosby through and through - intense, passionate, and unapologetically direct. But he’s also self-aware enough to recognize when the emotion gets a little too loud.
“I have a ton of respect for Justin,” Crosby said. “He’s a hell of a player, a good dude.
He was in the moment, screaming in my ear, and I just reacted. But I gotta be smarter.”
It’s a reminder of how fine the line can be between passion and penalty in the NFL. Crosby’s edge is part of what makes him one of the league’s most disruptive defenders. But even he knows that in a league where emotions run high and tempers can flare in a second, the mental game is just as important as the physical one.
“When you’re in the arena, when the bullets are flying and you’re one of the guys out there doing it, there’s no way to describe that feeling and mentality,” Crosby said. “You’re in a whole different space.
You just gotta be able to control your emotions. But your passion for the game is going to speak - and sometimes it gets the best of you.”
The penalty didn’t swing the game - the Chargers were up 10 with just over four minutes left - but the moment offered a window into the fire that Crosby plays with every snap. And when you consider the broader context - Crosby grinding every week as the standout on a struggling Raiders squad - it’s not hard to understand the frustration.
He’s the heartbeat of a team still trying to find its identity. And while he knows he has to keep his cool, you also see why he wears his emotions on his sleeve. That edge is part of what makes him elite - and part of what opposing quarterbacks have to deal with every time they line up against him.