NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Maxx Crosby: At points, I feel like I'm 'losing my mind' with all the losing

Maxx Crosby is a great player stuck on a bad team.

The Las Vegas Raiders sit at 2-10, tied for the worst record in the NFL -- yet another washed-away campaign for the perennial Pro Bowl pass rusher. In his six seasons, the Raiders have had just one winning year, a 10-7 2021. Things have bottomed out this year, with Vegas on pace for its worst record since the 4-12 2018 Raiders -- the year before they drafted Crosby.

The Raiders are currently on an eight-game skid, the longest active losing streak in the NFL.

Crosby told Peter King and Jim Gray on the latest episode of SiriusXM NFL Radio’s Let’s Go! podcast that he gets ticked off by the losing.

"Of course, I'm competitive as they come. I put all my time, and effort, and spirit and soul into this -- into being the best version of myself," he said. "I care about winning more than anything on the planet. So, yeah, there were points in the season where I feel like I was losing my mind. I had to really reset."

The Raiders are 41-54 in Crosby's six seasons.

Despite all the losing, Crosby rarely sits out a snap. He missed the first game of his career in Week 4 due to injury. In the past six games, he's played every single defensive snap (387), per Next Gen Stats, the longest streak of a defensive lineman since at least 2016.
Crosby said that even with the losing, he shows up because that's the type of leader he must be for this squad.

"The best version of me is not just being a great player but a great leader and being the best version of myself, bringing positivity," he said. "Because I can sit around and be negative and be like everybody else in the world right now... If I live in that, I'm just like everybody else and I'm not like everybody else. I feel like I'm here for a reason, and I could fall into that trap and be part of the crowd or I can be a leader. And that's what I choose to be. It's a choice. And of course, (the losing) sucks, but I'm going to be the best version of me every single day going forward."

In some other sports, one great player like Crosby could stifle the losing. Unfortunately for the relentless pass rusher, he plays the ultimate team game. Until the Raiders bolster the rest of the roster around him -- particularly the quarterback -- he'll continue to have to lead through the fog of losses.

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Trade him to the Vikings, my kind of player.

 

Azeez Al-Shaair’s three-game suspension upheld on appeal

Appeals officer Ramon Foster has upheld the three-game suspension of Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, the league announced Wednesday.

The Texans are on their off week this week, so Al-Shaair will miss games against the Dolphins, Chiefs and Ravens in Weeks 15-17. He can return for the Week 18 game against the Titans.

The NFL suspended Al-Shaair on Tuesday for what the NFL called “repeated violations of rules intended to protect the health and safety of players and promote sportsmanship,” including the hit to the head of Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence that led to the linebacker’s ejection from Sunday’s game.

Lawrence landed on injured reserve Wednesday with a concussion, likely ending his season.

Al-Shaair has paid two fines this season. The league docked him $11,817 for punching Bears running back Roschon Johnson in Week 2 when Johnson thought Al-Shaair’s hit on Caleb Williams along the sideline was unnecessary, and Al-Shaair lost $11,255 for a hit out of bounds on Titans running back Tony Pollard in Week 12.

The suspension will cost Al-Shaair three game checks of $112,745 each, totaling $338,235.

 

Meanwhile, Lawrence is out for the season, maybe Al-Shaair should be fined the amount Lawrence makes during his time out due to injury. Missing 3 games and $338K in cash, in my opinion, is just a slap on the wrist. It is what it is, but I doubt Azeez gives a shit or changes how he plays.

 

Decent matchup tonight. Im tuning in.



DETROIT (AP) Detroit and Green Bay, longtime rivals and current contenders, will have much at stake when they meet Thursday night in the Motor City.

The NFC-leading Lions (11-1) are aiming to stay ahead of Philadelphia (10-2) in the race for the conference's best record and Minnesota (10-2) in the NFC North with a win against the Packers.

Detroit can also clinch a spot in the playoffs with an 11th straight victory that would set a franchise record.

 

Looking at those stats, this might be a decent game, but we all know paper dont mean a thing when the game starts.

 

Willie you would tune in if 2. 0-11 teams were playing

 

Of course. I like the game, always have, but I'd prefer a 'meaningful' game over 2, 0-11 teams, but an NFL game is an NFL game. Been mesmerized by this football thing since I was a toddler.

 

Jonathan Greenard named the NFC defensive player of the month

Jason Sanders wins AFC special teams player of the month

Brock Bowers named NFL offensive rookie of the month

Saquon Barkley is the NFC offensive player of the month

Joe Burrow wins first AFC offensive player of the month award

Braden Fiske named defensive rookie of the month

Jake Bates is the NFC special teams player of the month

 

Cowboys guard Zack Martin to have season-ending surgery

FRISCO, Texas -- The season is over for Dallas Cowboys All-Pro guard Zack Martin. Coach Mike McCarthy said Martin will undergo surgery on a right ankle issue that has been troubling the player for some time.

Martin has missed the past two games with ankle and shoulder injuries. And now comes a question as to whether he will be back in 2025.

"I think you just have to take a step back and deal with one thing at a time and that's frankly the conversation that Zack and I had," McCarthy said. "The focus is really about the surgery, what's next. And I think those are all questions that I'm sure that will be asked or will be thought about. But he really, in my conversations with him, his focus is on getting the surgery and trying to do the best he can with this ankle because obviously this is I think the third surgery that he'll have on that ankle."

ESPN

 

The return to Minnesota should be fun and interesting. No offense to @Torgo , but I hope the INT's continue.

I read some stuff by writers trying to stir the pot that Cousins should be benched for Penix, Morris put a stop to that tho. Cant sit a $180M dollar man lol.

 

The Chiefs’ dominance over the AFC West is reaching historic proportions.

If they beat the Chargers on Sunday Night Football, the Chiefs will clinch the AFC West for the ninth consecutive season.

The Chiefs have the second-most consecutive division titles of any team in NFL history. Only the Patriots, who won the AFC East for 11 straight seasons from 2009 through 2019, have a longer streak. The next-longest streak belongs to the Rams (seven seasons from 1973 to 1979), Steelers (six seasons from 1974 to 1979) and Vikings (six seasons from 1973 to 1978).

 

The Lions winning has crippled the Eagles' chances at a bye. The Lions have to lose twice now and the Vikings must lose once. Bills and Vikings over the Lions and a Vikings loss sometime before week 18 is their best chance. And the eagles would have to win out.

 

It was as a Vikings fan the Detroit Lions winnig 34-31was bad,the Vikings will have a TOUGH time in Detroit

 

Which begs the question, would Mahomes be Mahomes if he were drafted ANYWHERE else? He’s only been the QB for 7 of those 9, so the Chiefs started the streak without him.

Reid on the other hand also enjoyed a 4 year division win streak with the Eagles. He made the playoffs 9 out of his 14 years in Philly and has remarkably only missed the playoffs once in his 12 years with KC, that being his second season there. His streak is about to hit 10 consecutive for being in the playoffs.

Reid’s resume could put him at the absolute top of the heap by the time he hangs up his whistle.

 

Jared Goff completed his final 13 passes, including five on the game-winning drive. He finished 32-of-41 for 283 yards with three touchdowns and an interception.

Jordan Love was 12-for-20 for 206 yards and a touchdown, and Josh Jacobs ran for 66 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries. Christian Watson caught four passes for 114 yards, and Tucker Kraft had three catches for 41 yards and a touchdown.

 

This is Santa in my neighborhood. He can handle it.

 

Is this a penalty?

 

It's not exactly a forcable hit to the head.

But if it were Mahomes.....17 flags probably hit the turf.