Las Vegas Raiders DE Maxx Crosby isn’t happy to lose to Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers. But he’s got all the respect in the world for the organization. Always one to trash talk and get in the other team’s head, Crosby detailed his interaction with Tomlin during Sunday’s game.
“Mike Tomlin was one of the best coaches, so he is not gonna make it easy,” Crosby said on his ‘The Rush’ podcast recorded post-game. “We had a couple moments during the game. He is sitting there, and he is kind of like looking at me, and I just, I always with the coaches and players, and I just made awkward eye contact. He just looked at me. He started smiling and I’m like, ‘keep sending them.’ I was talking shit to everybody.”
It’s a similar-sounding moment that Tomlin shared with then-Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers in 2021 when Tomlin called a timeout to avoid a 12-man penalty right before a Rodgers’ snap. A sign of mutual respect between the NFL’s longest-tenured coach and the stars the Steelers face each week.
Pittsburgh does a great job of taking away the opposition’s best player and making the “other” guys win. It was a key reason why the Steelers handled the Raiders. Star rookie tight end Brock Bowers had only a minimal impact, most of his receptions coming late when the outcome was already decided. Crosby didn’t take over the game, either, the Steelers sending multiple blockers and paths of resistance. Though he made plays and got pressure, he finished with only a half-sack. Considering he’s had better than that in three of his other four games this season, it was a good enough job by Pittsburgh.
In the end, Pittsburgh’s star pass rusher drew the headlines. T.J. Watt didn’t record a sack or quarterback hit but forced two fumbles, one setting the Steelers up on the Raiders’ 30 and the other coming as Las Vegas was about to score, taking six points off the board. These were turning-point plays that changed the game’s trajectory.
One of the NFL’s best defensive players and still an underrated national name, Crosby also talks as much trash as anyone—to the point where coaches have to practice against it. Preparing for him in 2023, the Dolphins had a practice squad player simulate Crosby’s penchant for “accidentally” bumping into the quarterback after plays, moments that wouldn’t be flagged but could annoy anyone.
You can see Crosby do the same during Sunday’s game. After this poor pass from Fields, you can see Crosby tap Fields and say something to him, which I assume wasn’t “You’ll get it next time, friend.”
Or here. At the very end of the play, you can see Fields standing in front of the pile of linemen around him as Crosby uses a late shove to knock him down.
For the opposition, it is an annoying part of the deal. For Crosby and the Raiders, it is part of his competitive nature. Crosby won some battles Sunday, but the Steelers won the war. Crosby will hope to just win, period. Since being drafted in 2019, he’s experienced only one winning season and one playoff game, a 2021 Wild Card loss.
