Tag: Maxx Crosby

Ravens suffer disappointing 26-23 loss to Raiders in Week 2

The Baltimore Ravens are 0-2 after a disappointing 26-23 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 2 at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday

The Baltimore Ravens are 0-2 after a disappointing 26-23 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 2 at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday.

It’s the first back-to-back loss for Lamar Jackson in two years and the first time a reigning MVP has lost two straight games in 22 years. Jackson was 21-34 passing, for 247 yards (7.3 avg), one passing touchdown and one interception.

Jackson had four carries for 20 yards, while Derrick Henry rebounded in the second half, finishing with 18 carries for 84 yards (4.8 avg) and one rushing touchdown.

The Baltimore offensive line struggled mightily in the afternoon, as Jackson was sacked two times. Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby tormented Jackson and the Ravens, as the All-Pro logged six tackles, two sacks, four tackles for loss, one pass defended, and two quarterback hits.

Roquan Smith led all players with 11 tackles, and cornerback Marlon Humphrey logged 10 tackles, one pass defended, and one tackle for loss.

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Will the Ravens use a double-team to block Raiders’ DE Maxx Crosby?

If the Baltimore Ravens want to avoid a Week 2 upset, they will need to limit the disruption of Raiders DE Maxx Crosby.

Indeed, the Baltimore Ravens have the personnel needed to have offensive success versus the Las Vegas Raiders in week 2. However, with apparent offensive line struggles, the Ravens cannot allow defensive end Maxx Crosby to be disruptive this afternoon.

The Los Angeles Chargers used a heavy ground attack to defeat the Raiders last week, and it makes sense for offensive coordinator Todd Monken to follow suit. Nevertheless, knowing Monken, the Ravens will attempt to sequence intermediate and deep passing plays at a higher frequency than the Chargers. 

Monken better have a plan to keep the pocket from collapsing on quarterback Lamar Jackson, and that might require him to use a double-team to block Maxx Crosby. The Ravens were near the top of the league in sacks allowed last season, and Jackson’s frustration with his revamped offensive line was very evident in week 1.

Ultimately,  the Ravens want to avoid a Week 2 upset. In that case, they’d be wise to double-team Crosby and give running back Derrick Henry as many rushing attempts as possible to weary the Raiders’ defense.

3 Key matchups to watch for in Raiders vs Ravens Week 2

We take a look at a few key matchups that could be of particular importance when the Raiders travel to Baltimore this week.

It’s off to Baltimore for the Raiders this week to square off against the Ravens. Let’s take a look at a few key matchups that could be of particular importance to the outcome.

Robert Spillane vs Derrick Henry

Last week the Raiders held up well against the run in the first half. Then it fell apart in the second half. Spillane wasn’t specifically to blame for any of the big runs the Chargers had in terms of execution. He didn’t miss those tackles and he didn’t screw up his run fits.

That being said, Henry has a way of forcing missed tackles. And it will be Spillane’s job to make sure his teammates are playing disciplined football. Particularly Divine Deablo had a couple big lapses last week that cost the Raiders big time. Spillane will have to not only do his job on a given play, but make sure his teammates are doing theirs. And even when he’s doing his job to keep Henry from winning their one-on-one battles.

Maxx Crosby vs Lamar Jackson

The Ravens’ offensive line has some issues at the moment. Crosby should get some pressure, as you typically does, but that won’t be enough in this one. It’s one thing to get into the backfield, it’s another to corral Lamar Jackson.

Crosby will have to think not only about getting pressure, but also protecting the edge from Jackson taking off running and also catching Jackson should he get near him. Jackson put up 122 yards rushing against the Chiefs in the opener and he will do that to the Raiders too if they’re not careful. Crosby is the most capable of limiting that damage.

Gardner Minshew vs Ravens secondary

The Ravens are vulnerable against the pass. The Chiefs had some good success through the air against them. Rashee Rice had 103 yards and Xavier Worthy had two touchdowns. And they will be without rookie top pick Nate Wiggins who is OUT with a concussion.

What the Chiefs have that makes most secondaries vulnerable is Patrick Mahomes. He can make anyone look silly. The Chiefs don’t have the talent at receiver the Raiders have, so that should count for something. Whether it does or not will be up to Minshew. He averaged an NFL low 4.5 air yards per pass last week. That has to change if the Raiders offense is to sustain drives and put up more than ten points.

Can Raiders handle ‘big boy football’ Ravens will bring in Week 2?

The.Ravens will be playing some ‘big boy football’ Sunday. Can the Raiders match it?

Week one against Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers, they struggled on the ground early, but stuck with it until they broke through. You can bet Jon Harbaugh’s Ravens were watching. And they have plenty of ability to wear down a defense on the ground.

Primarily they have Derrick Henry.

King Henry, as he’s called, is the quintessential workhorse back in a league increasingly going away from workhorse backs.

The 6-2, 247-pound bruiser is hard to bring down. And in each of his last five seasons, he has averaged over 21 carries per game. You can expect him to hit that average and then some Sunday in Baltimore. And Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce knows they’re in for it.

“Yeah, big boy football,” Pierce said of facing Henry. “Strap it up, like I said, hardhat mentality. Grab a cup of Advil from Chris [Cortez] in the training room. It’s going to hurt.”

It will take more than strength to keep Henry bottled up. It will take discipline. That’s part of what fell off in the second half last week in Los Angeles.

“Yeah, I mean, 35 plus runs they had in the game, and four of them we fit up wrong,” Pierce said, referring to the four big runs the Chargers broke off in the game. “I mean, do your job each and every play, right? If you’re a second level linebacker, fit the gap accordingly. If you’re D-lineman, no jumping around playing peekaboo. It’s critical. And then I think our team really understood that because late in the game you’re down and your guys are trying to make plays, you can’t do that. Team defense, those are the good teams that play in the month of January, February, and that’s what we’re striving to do.”

Run defense was a concern coming into the season. Which is a bit surprising considering the addition of Christian Wilkins to go along with Maxx Crosby — both of whom are outstanding against the Run — and with Robert Spillane behind them.

It is not Crosby, Wilkins, and Spillane the Raiders may have to worry about. Because those three were doing their jobs last Sunday for the most part. While some of their teammates were not.

But as Pierce said, it only takes one mistake. Hell, with Henry, you could do most everything right, and he might still make a highlight out of you. It’s how he’s averaged nearly a touchdown per game over the past six years. You read that right. In 84 starts since 2019, he has 80 touchdowns! That’s just absurd.

Oh, and when Henry isn’t running through guys, Lamar Jackson will run past them or throw over them. This defense better find its run defense, and figure out how to play ‘big boy football’ or this could be a long day in Baltimore.

Chargers rookie Joe Alt shuts down Maxx Crosby in big time debut

Joe Alt was as good as advertised in his first NFL start.

There were some concerns from fans and the media when Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers opted to take former Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt over one of the many top-tier receivers in the 2024 NFL Draft. After Alt’s debut against the Las Vegas Raiders, however, it’s clear Harbaugh and the Bolts had the right idea in mind taking one of the cleanest players in the entire draft class.

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You couldn’t have drawn a much tougher opening matchup for a rookie than the one he faced on Sunday when teeing off against both Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins, two of the best defensive lineman in the entire league. Alt was trusted to give it a go and passed his test with flying colors as he gave up zero sacks and one pressure on the afternoon.

While Alt did have some moments where he was beat in the running game by Wilkins, it was mostly Alt who took away the wins on the day. This was a fantastic performance by a rookie who looked every bit like the elite prospect he was touted as. With Rashawn Slater on the other side of the offensive line, the Chargers may end up with the best tackle duo in the entire league.

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Ballers for Raiders Week 1 loss to Chargers

Ballers for Raiders Week 1 loss to Chargers

Even in a tough loss like this, the plain truth is not everyone was bad. In fact, through three quarters, the Raiders had a lot going for them and it was still a two-point game. That doesn’t happen by accident.

So, before we get into how it all fell apart, let’s give credit to those who kept the Raiders in this game through three quarters.

Ballers

DE Maxx Crosby

While the Chargers are pumping their chests at how well their rookie tackle held up against Crosby, he still was a major factor in this game. The Chargers started the game with a three-and-out. And the final two plays featured a Maxx Crosby tackle for loss and a sack off a stunt. So much for Alt deleting Crosby.

He ended another drive in the second quarter with a QB hit on third down to send the two teams into the locker room with a 7-6 Raiders lead.

The Chargers went on a long drive early in the third quarter. but it also featured two Crosby run stuffs and ended with a Crosby pressure for an incompletion, so the Chargers settled for a field goal.

He finished with a sack, three QB hits, and five tackles, one for a loss.

LB Robert Spillane

Spillane led the team with ten combined tackles (seven solo). Two of those tackles ended drives. On one possession in the second quarter, he made the tackle on all three downs including a tackle for loss. He started out a three-and-out in the third quarter with a tackle as well.

CB Jakorian Bennett

He stayed in Quentin Johnston’s hip pocket up deep up the left sideline to knock the ball away and end the Chargers’ second possession with a three-and-out. He didn’t give up a catch all day after that either.

RB Alexander Mattison

After a couple of drives with Zamir White going nowhere, the Raiders put in Mattison. And he had the highlight reel play of the game for them. Mattison caught a pass in the right flat and looked to be stopped, but he evaded one tackler and hurdled Asante Samuel Jr without breaking stride and took it 31 yards to the house. He finished with nine touches for 62 yards and a TD.

DT Christian Wilkins

With the way the Chargers were able to break through on the ground in the second half, it may be hard to remember the Raiders had them hemmed up before that. Wilkins led the way in that department with three run stuffs. He finished second on the team with six combined tackles (five solo).

P AJ Cole

His first punt went 57 yards and was fair caught at the 13. His second punt went 52 yards and was also fair caught. His pooch punt in the fourth quarter was fair caught at the eight. He finished averaging 53 yards per punt with three stopped inside the 20 and one touchback.

T Thayer Munford

While Kolton Miller was having all kinds of issues on the left side, Munford held his own on the right side. Not giving up any sacks or run stuffs.

Honorable Mention

WR Davante Adams — Led the team with 59 yards on five catches. His two catches for 29 yards on the Raiders third drive both came on third down to set up the team’s only touchdown of the game.

CB Nate Hobbs — Chased down two long runs to keep it from being a touchdown. The first one ended in a field goal.

Continue to the Busters…

Chargers rookie OT Joe Alt aces first test

Joe Alt was a wall against the Raiders.

Joe Alt couldn’t have asked for a more challenging test in his NFL regular season debut, as he was tasked with going up against Maxx Crosby. But the rookie offensive tackle aced it.

According to Next Gen Stats, Alt allowed zero quarterback pressures in 11 pass-block snaps against Crosby. If that stat wasn’t already eyebrow-raising, Crosby had not been held to zero pressures against an offensive lineman since Week 9 of the 2022 season.

On the day, Alt allowed three pressures across his 28 total pass-block snaps.

Alt was a wall in pass protection with active feet, athletic posture, strong anchor and nice balance throughout each repetition.

Coaches and players heaped high praise on Alt after the game.

“Joe Alt, he played really good,” Jim Harbaugh said. “Super happy for Joe.”

Justin Herbert added: “He’s a true ball player out there.”

Alt’s performance was even more impressive because he has only been playing right tackle for five months. The former Notre Dame product was a left tackle in college but was drafted to play opposite Rashawn Slater.

“Super proud of him. I’ve always known from the very beginning he was going to be dominant,” Slater said about Alt. “I have no doubt he dominated today. I haven’t even looked at the film, but I just know he did. Sky is the limit.”

Raiders DE Tyree Wilson suffered sprained knee in opener, could miss some time

Tyree Wilson could miss some time with his knee injury.

The hopes that Tyree Wilson might step up entering his second season took a hit Sunday. The 2023 seventh overall pick lasted just six snaps in the team’s season opener against the Chargers before leaving with a knee injury and not returning.

Following the game, he was sporting a brace on his right knee and walked gingerly with the brace trying to ensure minimal movement of the knee.

Monday morning brought the prognosis. He has a sprained knee. This means it’s not expected to be a long term injury, but how long he will be missing is not yet known.

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The team had hoped Wilson would step up and help fill the void left by the loss of Malcolm Koonce to a knee injury this past week that landed him on injured reserve.

Instead it was Charles Snowden, who was just signed off the practice squad, who led the way along with Janarius Robinson. Maxx Crosby, of course, played every snap at the other defensive end spot.

“It got thin real quick,” Pierce said of the defensive end depth. “Telesco’s working on that as we speak.”

Chargers WR Joshua Palmer sounds off on fight that led to ejection

Joshua Palmer said that he thought Raiders defenders were getting frustrated by the physicality of the receivers’ blocking.

Joshua Palmer and Jack Jones were ejected late in the fourth quarter of the Chargers’ win over the Raiders on Sunday.

Multiple players got into a fight following a two-point conversion attempt with 3:40 remaining in the fourth quarter, Palmer and Jones being the notable players involved.

Ladd McConkey was blocking Epps, and Palmer went to help. The two got into a fight in the back of the end zone. While attempting to break them up, other fights ensued, including between Quentin Johnston and Maxx Crosby.

After the game, Palmer told ESPN’s Kris Rhim and other reporters that he “got punched a lot,” including once by Jones earlier in the contest.

“They came and started throwing punches, but we’re not going to be punching bags,” Palmer said. “So we had to defend ourselves.”

Palmer said that he thought Raiders defenders were getting frustrated by the physicality of the receivers’ blocking.

“It’s not personal. There’s no bad blood,” Palmer added. “UFC guys beat up each other for a living, then they go back and shake hands. Especially in football, it’s nothing like that. But it’s not personal at all. We just do our job as hard as we can. We’re not trying to hurt anybody”

Jim Harbaugh said the team didn’t talk about the fight after the game.

“Just trying to get our guys back, get ’em separated, keep the rest of the guys coming,” Harbaugh said. “I just tried to break it up.”

Maxx Crosby laments Raiders ‘leaky’ run defense in loss to Chargers

Maxx Crosby laments Raiders ‘leaky’ run defense in loss to Chargers

At the half the Chargers had 26 yards on the ground. But as the second half went along, the cracks started to show and eventually the dam broke.

Maxx Crosby was a major force in the Raiders defense holding the Chargers down early and keeping it a one-point game at the half. His disappointment in the team’s inability to keep it going for 60 minutes was palpable.

“It’s a game of inches and a game of details and we weren’t detailed enough for four quarters,” said Crosby. “We did some good things, but there’s a couple runs where it’s on us. At end of the day it’s about block destruction, getting off blocks and finishing plays and we just let things get a little leaky at the end and that’s not what we’re about, so we got to fix it moving forward.”

Crosby referred to a couple runs in particular that bit the Raiders in the second half. The two runs he is referring to are almost certainly the 12-yard TD run by JK Dobbins to begin the fourth quarter and the 61-yard Dobbins run to set of the game clinching touchdown late in the fourth.

The 12-yard run went inside the right tackle and it was Divine Deablo who  blew the gap, blitzing too early and ending up on the edge along with Crosby, leaving a good sized hole for Dobbins to run for the end zone.

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The 61-yard run once again saw Dobbins choose the gap where Diablo was not. This time Diablo went inside the guard and Dobbins bounced to inside the tackle and was gone for 61yards before Nate Hobbs could chase him down.

Three plays later they were in the end zone and the game was, for all intents and purposes, over.