Tag: Maxx Crosby injury news

Injury update: Maxx Crosby among several Raiders starters back at practice Friday

Raiders get some potential good news Friday with several key starters back at practice in prep for the Steelers.

With the Steelers coming to Las Vegas Sunday, the Raiders will need all the healthy bodies they can get. Friday’s practice will see several starters who had missed the first two practices this week return to the field, opening up the possibility that they will play Sunday.

None are more important than Maxx Crosby who has missed more practices than he’s particapted the past few weeks as he battles through a high ankle sprain. He played last week despite missing two practices, and is expected to do the same this week.

One of the more worrisome missing players this week is WR Jakobi Meyers. So his return to practice Friday was a welcome sight. With Davante Adams not playing with his hamstring injury and trade request, the Raiders were already digging into their depth chart at receiver. Meyers’s absence would have them woefully thin at the position.

Rookie guard Jackson Powers-Johnson missed Wednesday and Thursday with a knee injury and is returning Friday. Antonio Pierce expects he will play and is hoping the second round pick can hold up against All Pro DT Cameron Heyward.

Also practicing Friday after missing last Sunday’s game and the first two practices this week is RB Zamir White. It was expected that even if White were able to play last week, he would lose snaps to Alexander Mattison. White’s status is uncertain for the game.

Raiders, Broncos final Week 5 injury report: Maxx Crosby Questionable

Maxx Crosby Questionable on Raiders injury report

Finally some good news on the Raiders injury report. After seeing their already lengthy list of injured players who missed practice get even longer on Thursday, Friday brought the return of some key players to practice along with the chance that they are able to play Sunday in Denver.

Most notable, of course, being Maxx Crosby who returned from his ankle injury Friday and is officially Questionable for the game.

Also returning to practice Friday after missing the first two practices of the week were LB Divine Deablo, G Dylan Parham, WR Tyreik McAllister, and LB Kana’i Mauga. All of whom are officially Questionable for the game.

Those officially out include WR Davante Adams (hamstrong), T Thayer Munford (knee/ankle), CB DeCamerion Richardson (hamstring), TE Michael Mayer (personal), S Trey Taylor (knee), RB Zamir White (groin), and LB Luke Masterson (knee).

Replacing Munford at RT will be rookie DJ Glaze. Replacing TE Michael Mayer will be Harrison Bryant. Replacing WR Davante Adams is Tre Tucker. Replacing LB Luke Masterson is Tommy Eichenberg.

Out for the Broncos is RB Tyler Badie (back).

Injury update: Maxx Crosby returns to practice as Raiders prep to face Broncos

Maxx Crosby was back at practice Friday as Raiders prep to face Broncos

Maxx Crosby doesn’t like missing games. So much so that last week was his first missed game of his career. He especially hates the idea of missing games against rivals. So, it’s not surprising he’s doing everything he can to be available this week when the Raiders travel to Denver.

The sixth-year pro missed the first two practices this week, but was seen working on the side on Thursday. Friday, Antonio Pierce announced that Crosby was back at practice and will be listed officially as limited for Friday’s practice.

His official game designation will be known when the injury report is released, but his return to practice opens up the possibility that he could play Sunday against the Broncos.

Crosby has a high ankle sprain and it’s serious enough to have hobbled him in the team’s Week 3 loss to the Panthers, which led to him missing last week’s game against the Browns.

Last season Crosby had a serious knee injury that had him Doubtful for the team’s matchup with the Chiefs. He was even hospitalized because of it, but miraculously still started the game on Christmas Day and the Raiders went on to beat the Chiefs.

This week Antonio Pierce said he wants to “protect Maxx Crosby from Maxx Crosby” so this one will be a day-to-day situation.

Raiders approach to Maxx Crosby injury status to ‘protect Maxx… from Maxx’

Raiders approach to Maxx Crosby injury status to ‘protect Maxx… from Maxx’

Last Sunday against the Browns was the first game Maxx Crosby missed in his six year career. He fought through the injury the week before, missing an uncharacteristic number of snaps, and when he was in the game, he was clearly not himself.

After the game, I asked him how the ankle compared to the serious knee injury he played through last season, and the indication was that the high ankle sprain was worse in terms of his game experience.

We all know if it were up to Crosby, he would be out there playing. And probably wouldn’t miss practice either. Crosby discussed the decision to play last season against the Chiefs on that injured knee despite being listed as Doubtful on the final injury report, saying he told then GM Champ Kelly “This is my decision, I’m playing.”

Antonio Pierce and Tom Telesco are clearly not letting Crosby call the shots on his injury status this time.

“It’s a long season,” said Pierce. “It’s an injury that…if you think about it, last year the injury happened later in the season, so we’re scrambling and scratching and clawing trying to get in the playoffs. Now, it’s early. If you can take advantage of the early games, early part of the season, get him healthy, got a bye week in the middle. At the end of the day, my job is to protect Maxx Crosby from Maxx Crosby. If it was up to Maxx, he’d be out there practicing every day and in every game and not miss one snap. We’ve seen that over the years. But as you look at the player, you look at the organization, you got to do what’s best for both. And that’s what we’re doing with Maxx.”

Media on hand at practice noted that Crosby is not at practice today. To that Pierce said Crosby is “still battling.”

Injury news: Maxx Crosby fighting high ankle sprain, Raiders defense flounders

Maxx Crosby says he’s fighting a high ankle sprain. Meanwhile Raiders defense looked lost.

One thing became apparent in Sunday’s loss to the Panthers and that was that the Raiders is not able to function at a high level if Maxx Crosby is not himself. He was obviously not right. And the Raiders got routed by the Carolina Panthers as a result.

No one really wondered if Crosby would play this week. He played through a knee injury last season that had him in the hospital two days before the game. That time he missed practice all week and was Doubtful for the game. This time he was limited all week and Questionable.

But it’s possible this time what he was dealing with was actually harder to fight through.

“It’s a high ankle,” Crosby said of his injury. “It’s shitty, but I’ll be good. I’ll be better.”

“It sucks. It’s unfortunate. I mean I hurt it literally the second to last play in Baltimore. Just part of the game, you know. Every time I go out there I’m going to try and be out there with my teammates. If I’m 100% or 50% it doesn’t affect if I’m going to go out there.”

Even a 50% Maxx Crosby is better than a lot of guys can do at 100%. But it’s possible that this defense can’t function at a high level with a 50% Maxx Crosby.

Every facet of this defense failed Sunday in the loss to the Panthers. They gave up chunks on the ground while Andy Dalton had a near perfect day through the air. Several times, enjoying lots of time to work.

The Raiders did have a couple sacks, but Crosby wasn’t involved in either one.

And when I say Crosby wasn’t involved, I don’t mean he just wasn’t the one who made the sack. I mean he wasn’t a factor at all in the sack. One was an unblocked blitz from Robert Spillane while the other was Christian Wilkins and Charles Snowden swarming on the right side to split the sack.

We’re talking about the AFC Defensive Player of the Week here. It’s highly unusual for Crosby not to be a factor to say the least.

It’s unusual for Crosby to come off the field at all. And he was on and off the field several times, which is a sure fire indication he was not right.

Without him, the defense was not the defense we had come to recognize over the past 12 games under Antonio Pierce.

“You can’t pinpoint one thing. A lot of things go on during a game. If you don’t play complementary football, you start slow, all those things don’t help, I know that.”