Maxx Crosby missed the first game on his NFL career on Sunday and there’s no guarantee he’s going to play this week against the Broncos.
The team has been tight-lipped, as usual, about Crosby’s injury, but it sounds like he has a decent chance of playing this week – at least in his own opinion.
“This early in the season, I can’t go out there and re-risk f—-ing it up and affecting and hurting the team,” Crosby said on The Rush.
“I know what I bring to the table, and I know how I can change the game,” he continued. “I want to be at my full version of myself, because like I said, I started training in January for this season. So if I got to take one step back to take three forward, I’m going to do that. I definitely plan on playing this week. That’s the goal. That’s where my mind’s at, so just taking it one day at a time.”
Crosby’s update is encouraging, but his opinion won’t necessarily be the same as the team doctors.
Even if he is able to play on Sunday, it doesn’t sound like he’ll be at 100 percent, and the last thing the Raiders need is for his ankle sprain to linger.
There’s no replacing an All Pro like Crosby, but the defensive line didn’t fall apart without him against the Browns. One thing the Raiders proved in week 4 was that players like Christian Wilkins, Adam Butler, Charles Snowden and Tyree Wilson are capable of holding down the defensive line until Crosby returns.
Crosby’s streak of games might have come to an end last week, but there’s a much more important streak on the line this week in Denver.
x: @raidersbeat
Let it heal 98. Everyone knows you want to play. Pittsburgh is a bigger threat than Bo.