The Las Vegas Raiders have been hit with a lot of devastating injury news this season and it’s only getting worse. The team revealed on Saturday that defensive end Maxx Crosby would miss Monday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons with an ankle injury.
However, ESPN’s Adam Schefter later reported that Crosby may have to get ankle surgery, which would end his season. It appears that the All-Pro has accepted the inevitable. Crosby took to Instagram to address the news and confirmed that he will not be playing the rest of the season. He also gave some insight into what happened.
“Unfortunately, I got chopped blocked from the side and got another one but even worse this time vs. Tampa,” Crosby wrote. “Some people will say that I should just take my time and just relax and get ready for next year, I will never be that person. I have a team around me that made it possible for me to come back and still disrupt even though I truly wasn’t fully healthy all year. I will stand in the fire no matter what the circumstance because this game is my life. If I got a heartbeat, I expect to play for the fans that spend their hard earned money to watch me perform and wear my jersey every Sunday. I do it because it means everything to me and I will never change my approach to this game.”
He also made it clear that he’s going to come back with a vengeance next season.
“Although I can’t understand why this is happening, I truly believe everything happens for a reason,” Crosby added. “I can feel bad for myself and make excuses but I [expletive] refuse. I will get this surgery & be on a war path for greatness everyday and be back the best version of myself. I truly believe In my soul that I’m changing the game one snap at a time and changing the way this position is viewed. If you don’t believe me, if you have doubts, if you think I need to chill, GOOD… just WATCH ME.”
Maxx Crosby Hadn’t Missed a Game Before This Season
This is uncharted territory for Crosby. Prior to this season, the defensive end hadn’t even missed a game. He couldn’t play a game earlier in the season against the Cleveland Browns and that was a big deal.
The fact that he’s going to miss the final four games of the season indicates that the injury is very serious. This is a disappointing end to a disappointing season for Crosby but he remains one of the best defensive players in the NFL when healthy. Considering the Raiders are tied for the worst record in the NFL, it’s better that he uses this extra time to recover so he can be at full strength next season.
DL Injuries Have Devastated Raiders
The strength of the Raiders’ defense this season was supposed to be the defensive line. That derailed quickly as starting defensive end Malcolm Koonce suffered a season-ending injury prior to Week 1 and star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins played five games before heading to Injured Reserve.
That’s three starting defensive linemen that the Raiders have lost to season-ending injuries so it’s easy to understand why this season went off the rails for the team.
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