Whatever It Takes to Win: Best 3 Matchups in Mahomes-Crosby

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Let this marinate in your prefrontal cortex: 98, 97, 95 and 96. Those are the percentages of Raiders defensive snaps Maxx Crosby has played each of the last four seasons, beginning with 2025.
In other words, the four-time Pro Bowler has been on the field for 98 percent of the Raiders’ snaps this season.

“Yeah, Maxx is a competitor,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Wednesday. “And he's 100 miles an hour every play. I'm sure he's that way in practice. He goes and goes.”
He’s went and went in 12 previous meetings against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. The perennial Pro Bowlers, both products of Texas high school footballs, have forged a fierce rivalry founded on respect.

And although the Chiefs largely neutralized Aidan Hutchinson and the Lions with an emergency starting left tackle last week, Crosby could be a stiffer challenge.
Crosby against the Chiefs has six career sacks, one batted pass, 14 tackles for loss and, most painfully felt by Mahomes – a not-so-sweet 16 quarterback hits.

“He's the type of competitor,” Mahomes said Wednesday, “like me, it's like me on that football field; it's whatever it takes to win, and you're going to leave everything on the football field.”
While Mahomes has won 10 of the 12 meetings, the rivalry is as intense as it gets. The Raiders’ last three trips to Kansas City have featured some of the best games in the entire rivalry.
The last meeting
Nov. 29, 2024, Arrowhead Stadium: Crosby sacks Mahomes to halt a fourth-quarter drive with the Chiefs trailing, 17-16. But new Chiefs kicker Matthew Wright converts a 32-yard go-ahead field goal. Daniel Carlson misses a 58-yarder with five minutes left and Nick Bolton recovers a late fumble to seal Kansas City’s 19-17 win. Crosby helps the Raiders sack Mahomes five times, but he still passes for 306 yards.

The Christmas Day upset
Dec. 25, 2023, Arrowhead Stadium: Crosby introduces himself to Mahomes on the game’s second play, throwing him for a 2-yard loss. The Raiders force a fumble on the next snap, setting the tone for a game that was never really as close as the 20-14 final indicates. The Chiefs choose to double-team Crosby most of the game, but that creates opportunities for Malcolm Koonce to register a career-best three sacks, one in each of the first three quarters.
Constant harassment limits Mahomes to 235 yards. He also throws an interception to Jack Jones and nearly throws another one late, but replay reverses the call. The Chiefs would not lose another game, reeling off six straight wins, including the overtime win over San Francisco in Super Bowl 58.

The Monday night thriller
Oct. 10, 2022, Arrowhead Stadium. Crosby sacks Mahomes twice, both in the first half, and records another tackle for loss. But the quarterback mounts a commanding 13-play, 75-yard drive that consumes nearly seven fourth-quarter minutes. Mahomes (292 yards, four touchdowns) hits Travis Kelce on a 1-yard pass to give the Chiefs a 30-23 lead with 7:25 left. Derek Carr answers with a 48-yard touchdown to Davante Adams, but the Chiefs halt Josh Jacobs on the ensuing two-point attempt. Kansas City escapes with a 30-29 victory.

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Since his freshman year at the University of Colorado, Zak Gilbert has worked 30 years in sports, including 18 NFL seasons. He's spent time with four NFL teams, serving as head of communications for both the Raiders and Browns. A veteran of nine Super Bowls, he most recently worked six seasons in the NFL's New York league office. He now serves as the Kansas City Chiefs Beat Writer On SI
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