You can make a strong case that Maxx Crosby has been the league’s best defensive end through the first eight weeks of the season. No edge rusher has totaled more pressures than Crosby and no one has made a bigger impact for his team.
Crosby has totaled five sacks this season, but more impressively, 19 quarterback hits. Not only has he been fantastic as a pass rusher, but he has greatly improved as a run defender, as well.
In a recent article by Pro Football Focus, they handed out their midseason awards and named their All-Pro team so far. Of course, Crosby was on the list as he is the site’s highest-graded edge rusher. Here is what they had to say about the third-year defensive end this season:
“It’s going to be fascinating to see if Crosby can hang onto this All-Pro spot over the second half of the season. He has been phenomenal so far, leading the league in pressures (47), but he didn’t face a decent tackle until Week 7. When he did, he posted a 69.8 PFF pass-rushing grade and was good but not great.
Crosby is clearly much better than a year ago, but whether he is an All-Pro will be determined by his ability to maintain this pace against better players in the second half of the season.”
Crosby is one of three players from the Raiders to make the midseason All-Pro list for the Raiders (Casey Hayward, Nate Hobbs). But you can make a strong case that Yannick Ngakoue should have made the list as well as he is second in the NFL in pressures, only behind Crosby.
Crosby has never made the Pro Bowl in his career, but he seems like a near-lock to make it this season. He and Ngakoue are both in the middle of career years and are a huge reason for the team’s success so far in 2021.
