Eye on the Opponent: Maxx Crosby Will Create Headaches for Giants O-Line
As the New York Giants prepare to head to Las Vegas in Week 9 to take on the Raiders, there is a player on that defense the offensive coaches are sure to be concerned with.
That would be stud edge rusher Maxx Crosby. A former 2019 fourth-round pick out of Eastern Michigan, Crosby has increasingly cemented himself as one of the best defensive players on the Raiders roster and one of the elite edge rushers in the entire league.
Since his selection by the Raiders four years ago, the 26-year-old has rallied 279 tackles (179 solo), 44 sacks, eight forced fumbles, and three recovered fumbles, with a majority coming in his last three seasons.
As a rookie, Crosby rose to the scene by scoring 47 tackles, ten sacks, four forced fumbles, and four deflected passes, including four sacks in a single game to become the first Raiders rookie since Khalil Mack to post that feat. In his next three seasons, he would notch 27.5 more sacks and three forced fumbles to become a two-time Pro Bowler and Second Team All-Pro (2021).
Through seven games of his fifth campaign with Las Vegas, Crosby has 48 tackles with 6.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovered. That stat line is good for third on the team in total defensive production and first for overall pressures. He also sits ninth in the NFL for the same production, surrounded by some of the best pass rushers, including Thibodeaux (tied for 3rd).
With Crosby and several other players donating to the sack cause in the backfield, the Raiders are positioned toward the top of the league in total yards, passing attempts, passing yards, and average yards per throw allowed. They even limit opposing offenses to the ninth-lowest scoring percentage in the league, which tends to help the defense that has been weaker when pushed inside the red zone.
Once in the trenches, the biggest strength of Crosby’s game is his ability to dominate his matchup consistently. Per ESPN Analytics, the veteran ranks among the top 20 edge defenders in pass-rush win rate, scoring wins on 21 percent of his plays and even beating out double teams at an improved 24 percent success rate. He is twice as talented against opposing run packages, scoring a 36 percent run-stop win rate while beating 13 percent of his double teams.
If he’s met with a solid protector on the offensive side, Crosby does a solid job of deploying quick swim and double moves to attempt to gain leverage or at least push the back lineman back into the quarterback. A good chunk of his pressures are quarterback hits or hurried throws, which can impact the timing of an offense like the Giants that has been forced to get the ball out quickly amid weak protection up front.
That said, he is bound to get to the passer at some point in the game, as he has notched at least one sack in five of his last six contests and had two in Week 4 against the Chargers when he dominated the pocket with eight tackles and three tackles for loss. It could be a feast against Big Blue’s offense if the minor improvements don’t improve, and Daniel Iines should be on alert as he returns from a neck injury.
Crosby takes most of his snaps on the outside shoulder of the offensive tackle but occasionally scoots in a bit to attack from over the tackle. He’ll play on the right side, which means a lofty task for Tyre Phillips if he fills in for Evan Neal again.
It’ll take experience and grit to shut down his impact on Sunday’s game, and the good thing is the Giants have seen some effort with that against other premier edge rushers in recent weeks.
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