DE Maxx Crosby named AFC Defensive Player of the Week

The Raiders were already on a high after a stellar week 1 win against the Baltimore Ravens. The news today just got better as one of the heroes in that win, defensive end Maxx Crosby was rewarded being named AFC Defensive Player of the Week. It's the second time in his career he won this award.

Crosby played like a man on fire after recording six tackles, four quarterback hits and two sacks. Pro Football Focus gave Crosby a pass-rush grade of 93.1, which was tied for first in Week 1. Crosby finished the game with 10 pressures, which was the second-most of Week 1. Only Chandler Jones had more (12).

The Raiders have struggled to find any pass rushing dominance since the Khalil Mack trade and Crosby has been the Raiders most consistent player since he was drafted. As a rookie he recorded 4 sacks in one game against the Bengals. We all know going into the season the Raiders defense was one of the top questions about this team. Crosby’s individual performance did enough to silent critics for at least a week.

Week 2 Raiders will travel to Pittsburgh where Steelers have a dominant pass rusher themselves in TJ Watt. If both teams want to advance to 2-0 both their dominant pass rushers need to show up against spotty offensive line play.