The Defensive Player of the Year award is likely going to T.J. Watt in Pittsburgh. However, you can make a pretty strong case that it should be Maxx Crosby. Once again, he put on a show in the biggest game of the year for the Raiders.
According to Pro Football Focus, Crosby totaled 11 pressures in Week 18 against the Chargers. Not only did he bring down Justin Herbert twice, but he drew a key holding penalty and he was around the quarterback all night long.
He also tallied seven quarterback hurries, five defensive stops, two additional quarterback hits and one batted pass. It was his third-highest graded performance of the season, which shows you just how good he’s been all year long.
This was the fourth time this season Crosby recorded double-digit pressures. Just for comparison’s sake, Watt had just one game this season with more than seven pressures. Week in and week out, Crosby was the most consistent pass rusher in the NFL.
#Raiders DE Maxx Crosby totaled 11 pressures, seven hurries and five stops against the Chargers in Week 18, according to @PFF
It was the fourth time this season he had at least 11 pressures in a game. pic.twitter.com/acu2x7z7Sj
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) January 10, 2022
Crosby finished as PFF’s second-highest graded EDGE defender for the 2021 season. He totaled over 100 pressures, the most since 2002 when the site began charting the stat. He was simply dominant all season long despite not having gaudy sack totals.
If the Raiders are going to advance in the playoffs, they are going to need Crosby to have a monster game against the Bengals. In the previous meeting, he recorded only three pressures. Look for him to have a much better day in this game with their season on the line.
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