The Truth Hurts: What the Raiders’ Struggles Mean

There is reason to be concerned about the direction of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Sep 21, 2025; Landover, Maryland, USA; Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) warms up before the game against the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Following an offseason of change, the Las Vegas Raiders entered Week 1 with legitimate hopes of an improved team and better results. Week 1 went the Raiders' way, but injuries and poor play have returned, leading to consecutive losses for the Silver and Black.

Raiders' Bleak Reality

Sunday's loss to the Commanders may be a sign of things to come for the Raiders.

Zachary Pereles of CBS Sports recently analyzed some of the best and worst aspects of Sunday's results, including the Raiders' loss to the Washington Commanders. Pereles noted Crosby's skill set being on a team Pereles does not believe will make to the playoffs is a negative.

"While we're on the Raiders and their struggles, Maxx Crosby not being on a contender is a bummer. Sunday, he had seven tackles, including two for a loss and one sack where he beat a pulling guard to the spot and ran through the running back trying to chip. He also drew two holding penalties," Pereles said.

"You just don't find a lot of players like Crosby anymore. He's leading all defensive linemen in snaps played, just as he did in 2023. In 2024, he missed five games but still led the position in snaps per game," Pereles said.

"I don't feel bad for Crosby. He's making a ton of money to play football. But I'm sure he wants to win, and with every blown coverage, with every blown blocking assignment, with every blown special teams coverage Sunday, that goal seems farther and farther away.

Crosby is not a fan of moral victories, and even if he was, there were few, if any in Sunday's road loss. Following the loss to the Commanders, Crosby shared his unfiltered thoughts about the Raiders' performance.

“I mean, yeah, we didn't play well, so we just gotta play better. It doesn’t matter if it’s a short week, there's no excuses. Everybody has short weeks during the season and it’s just how you prepare,” Crosby said.

“We just got to play better, you know what I mean? There's gonna be no excuses with this group. We know everybody knows you got to take accountability and we got Chicago this week at home, so we got a lot of work to do until then.” 

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