Las Vegas Raiders‘ Maxx Crosby did everything he could to make Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams uncomfortable. Moreover, the star pass rusher even secured an interception as part of his efforts.
Nonetheless, the Raiders fell short of a win in a disappointing game, losing 25-24 to the Bears on September 28 at Allegiant Stadium after a blocked field goal sealed their fate.
Despite escaping Las Vegas with a win, Williams shared his respect for Crosby. Additionally, the Bears star noted where he puts the Raiders standout in terms of the pass rushers he’s faced in his career.
“I think the guys did a great job to be honest,” Williams said speaking to the media after the Bears win. “They got a hell of a player over there. He’s probably the best player that I’ve ever played against so far in my career. As I said, they got a hell of a player. Understanding that coming into the game, I tried to get the ball out as fast as possible and get it to my guys.
“I think I can do a better job of that early in the game, getting everybody in rhythm. That’s a part of it, but at the end of the day, that’s what happened. We got some guys in there that, it’s their first time playing and suiting up, especially versus a guy like that, and they did a hell of a job. I’m proud of the guys, especially the way we fought. That’s all you can ask for at the end of the day.”
Maxx Crosby Reacts to Raiders’ Loss to Bears
Even with veteran Geno Smith struggling, the Raiders’ defense kept them in it, with Crosby leading the charge and constantly disrupting the Bears’ offense. Still, his impact wasn’t enough to secure a win, and he was visibly emotional afterward.
“We’re really close,” Crosby said after the loss to the Bears (h/t Vegas Sports Today). “We’re right there, came on the last play. We got to find a way to not make it so hard on ourselves. You know what I mean? It’s the only thing we can do. Freaking hurts, it sucks. I hate losing. Everybody in this locker room is losing, so we got to just find ways to win.”
Raiders Star Maxx Crosby Issues Self-Criticism
Las Vegas gave the ball away four times—three interceptions and a lost fumble—while Chicago had just one interception. That’s why Crosby is putting the blame on himself, frustrated that he couldn’t create more takeaways to stall the Bears’ drives and balance out the Raiders’ offensive mistakes.
“I work on trying to take the ball away every single day,” Crosby added. “It’s literally what I do all year round. I know a couple of them have been taken away this year for me for some weird reason, but finally getting one was good. I could have had a couple more today as well. Always room to improve and definitely going to keep working on improving.”