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The Kansas City Chiefs are coming into their title defense strongly. With 20 of 22 starters returning — and former NFL MVP and current Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes leading an offense ranked as the NFL’s best supporting cast — the team is widely viewed as the one to beat in 2020.
But 31 other teams will have something to say about that; the target on the team’s back could not be any larger. The latest bit of supporting evidence comes from Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby. The former fourth-round pick out of East Michigan is coming into the second year of his NFL career with 10 sacks over 10 starts in his rookie season.
But none of those brought Patrick Mahomes to the turf — and Crosby vows that will change in 2020.
“I was close as few times,” Crosby told “The Lefkoe Show” podcast on Thursday. “It pissed me off pretty much. Every second after that game was over, a couple times I was just mad.”
Crosby said that part of that was due to Mahomes’ elusiveness in the pocket.
“He’s a different type of player too. He’s one of those guys. He just backpedals, he’ll throw the ball from weird angles, it’s not like sacking a regular quarterback. Yeah, I’m definitely looking forward to sacking him. It needs to happen. It’s definitely going to happen.”
And Crosby believes that after his rookie campaign, he’s ready to make it happen.
“I’m coming in as the starter and now guys look at me, they have respect for me, I’m not the rookie getting bullied every day,” he explained. “You’re more comfortable and you just go in there with more confidence. I’m just ready for it.”
You have to love a young player with that kind of brash self-confidence; it’s the stuff of which NFL stars are made.
Bu in their championship season, the Chiefs allowed just 25 sacks — tied for the league’s third-fewest — so they’ll have something to say about that. And for Crosby and the Raiders, the point isn’t going to be sacking Mahomes. It’s going to be stopping him. That could prove to be a bit more difficult than notching a sack or two.