Raiders' star needs teammates to start pulling their own weight
The Las Vegas Raiders have had a terrible start to their 2022 season. However, it is getting better. After their win over the Denver Broncos, people started realizing that maybe this team isn't bad, they just haven't had great luck. The offense has been fine, could be better of course, but it hasn't been bad. […]
The Las Vegas Raiders have had a terrible start to their 2022 season. However, it is getting better. After their win over the Denver Broncos, people started realizing that maybe this team isn't bad, they just haven't had great luck.
The offense has been fine, could be better of course, but it hasn't been bad. They have weapons surrounding Derek Carr, including the league's best receiver in Davante Adams.
As for the defense, it's been pretty bad. At least, in certain areas. When it comes to sacking the quarterback, they are second-to-last in that area. The defense also hasn't been great at stopping the run.
While the defense has been bad, one player on that side of the ball has been extremely good. He has done it in all facets of the game on defense. In fact, there are two stats that show just that.
Raiders' Crosby is great at pass rush and run stop
Crosby has been the one bright spot for the Raiders' defense if we are being honest. No, it hasn't been Chandler Jones, the guy the Raiders are paying a ton of money. And it hasn't been anyone in the linebacker corps, either, which is why they signed Blake Martinez.
The only other bright spot has been Nate Hobbs, who is one of the best cornerbacks in football.
Crosby is doing it all for the Raiders. In terms of getting to the quarterback, he has all but one of the team's sacks. Crosby currently has four sacks and the team as a whole has five. When you read that after typing it out, it's almost embarrassing.
Crosby has been great at stopping the run, also. According to Pro Football Focus, he has the highest run stop rate of all edge rushers in the league at 16.1%, while the second highest person has 13.7%.
Crosby is the Raiders' defense, and there were concerns that he wouldn't shine as bright with another star player on the edge like Jones. Not only is he shining, but he also has by far been the better player between the two.
So, the next time someone is talking about how bad the Raiders are on defense, make sure they know it isn't Crosby, who is absolutely balling out for the Raiders.
Featured Image Via Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
