Patriots Have Tall Task Ahead Limiting Raiders Star Maxx Crosby

FOXBORO, Mass. — There are plenty of storylines heading into the Patriots and Raiders’ matchup in Week 6.

The familiarity between both sides is enough to talk about for weeks. Las Vegas has eight men on the coaching staff, five scouts and nine players who used to call New England home. The Patriots have a grand total of two former Raiders on their current roster, which is far less interesting, but still notable.

The most important player for the Patriots this week doesn’t have any ties back to New England, however.

Maxx Crosby is just really good.

“It all starts with No. 98,” Patriots running back Ezekiel Elliott said Wednesday when asked about the Raiders’ defense. “He’s one of the best pass rushers in the league, and not just a pass rusher — great against the run, too.

“It all starts there, so you’ve got to find a way to neutralize him. They’re a good group of guys. They fire around and hit, so we’ve got a big challenge this week.”

There’s no doubt that Crosby will present a challenge. The 26-year-old not only is coming off a pair of Pro Bowl seasons where he racked up 20.5 combined sacks, he’s got 5.0 already in 2023.

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Crosby had perhaps the biggest impact of any NFL defender (not named T.J. Watt) in Week 5. He only finished with 1.0 sack, but the Eastern Michigan alum also tallied four tackles for loss, one QB hit and four solo tackles.

In a season where the Patriots have rolled out four different offensive line combinations and eight different offensive lineman, Crosby will undoubtedly be the most important player on the field.