Las Vegas Raiders star defensive end Maxx Crosby had a strange post-game explanation over the shoving incident with assistant coach Mike Caldwell during Sunday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Maxx Crosby and the Raiders suffered a second consecutive frustrating defeat in Week 6, falling 32-13 at home to the visiting Steelers. Las Vegas (2-4) has now lost three of their last four, with each defeat coming by double-digit points.
Cameras caught a frustrated-looking Crosby shove Caldwell, the Raiders’ coach and run game coordinator, on the sideline during the blowout loss:
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Maxx Crosby pushing a coach in a crucial catch shirt. The RAIDERS are back!!!! pic.twitter.com/k3IY1wbhiJ
— ThatsGoodSports (@BrandonPerna) October 13, 2024
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Speaking to reporters after the game, Maxx Crosby stated that it was simply a “love push” for Caldwell and that their relationship is “great”, per ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez:
‘I have my phone blowing up as I’m in the cold tub, trying to get ready for next week already, and people, you know how they do it — they just spin narratives. Mike Caldwell’s a great dude. We have a great relationship and we do that all the time. It’s like people look at it, ‘Oh, they’re losing and then Maxx pushes him.
“That’s how we play football — we’re grown men, we’re alpha males, we don’t greet each other the same. So he was hyping me up and I hyped him up. We’re down, but it just showed we’re not quitting.”
Full context and explanation from Maxx Crosby:
"I love Mike Caldwell, that's my guy, I love him….The camera made it look bad, it looked like I was throwing him out the club. That is not what happened at all."#Raiders | #RaiderNation https://t.co/G5HsT1JqN8 pic.twitter.com/ka97NQMEXT
— Vince Sapienza (@VinceSapienza) October 14, 2024
Crosby himself had a fine performance on the field, tallying half a sack and two tackles for a loss. But the Raiders were gashed for 183 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 35 carries, and Steelers QB Justin Fields only had to complete 14 passes for 145 yards in the victory.
The Raiders will try to save their season and get back to 3-4 when they visit the banged-up Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium next Sunday.
Maxx Crosby Needs More Help On Defense
Las Vegas finished with a top-10 scoring defense a year ago for the first time since 2002, and there was hope that the unit would remain stingy this year with the addition of ex-Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Christian Wilkins
But the Raiders have now surrendered more than 30 points in each of the last two weeks, and it’s not like Bo Nix’s Denver Broncos and Justin Field’s Steelers are offensive juggernauts.
Crosby has done his part, logging 5.5 sacks and two pass breakups over five games. But the Raiders as a team aren’t generating enough pressure, and the young secondary simply isn’t making the stops that kept the group competitive last year
