The Las Vegas Raiders, somehow, some way, pulled out a win against the Cleveland Browns without their best two players, Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby.
Of course, there were three other starters out as well, and nine total players on the injury report. So, the odds were stacked against them, despite the Browns having 17 players on the injury report, but not as many or as big of key players out.
Crosby missed his first game in the NFL last week as he dealt with a high ankle sprain. No one thought he would actually miss when he played the week before injured and went two weeks without practicing last season when he had the knee issue that landed him in the ER, and he still played.
But, he was out, and Charles Snowden, Tyree Wilson, K'Lavon Chaisson, and Adam Butler all picked up the slack.
Now, after a 20-16 win over the Browns, the Raiders are 2-2 after losses to the Los Angeles Chargers and Carolina Panthers and wins against the Baltimore Ravens.
They will need Crosby this week, too, as they are now challenged with going against their biggest rival, the Denver Broncos, who are also 2-2 and also coming off of a big-time win, but for them, over the New York Jets, where they shut down Aaron Rodgers and company. They are hoping to do the same to Bo Nix.
Division games are tough, and they will need as much help as they can get, and that means having Maxx Crosby. Luckily for fans, the chances of him playing are rising.
“The plan is to play versus Denver, but I'm just taking it one day at a time. And, you know, we're taking big strides every day," Maxx Crosby said on his Sirius XM show, 'Let's Go.'
The Raiders could really start to stack wins on top of one another here. If they beat Denver, their next two games after that are winnable against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Rams, right before they host the Kansas City Chiefs.
That's exactly what the Raiders need. However, the Broncos are one of the lesser teams on their schedule. Yes, it will be tough because it's a rivalry, but if they sit Crosby, he could have more time to get healthy for Kansas City, because we all know they will need him.
