It was a rough showing for the Las Vegas Raiders in their Week 2 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night, but the defense, led by superstar Maxx Crosby, actually had a solid showing. The Raiders held the Chargers to just 20 points, and only three in the second half, despite the offense turning the ball over three times.
Even with all of their offensive issues, the Raiders were still in the game deep into the fourth quarter, and that is due in large part to the efforts of their defense. The night also saw many different looks employed by the Raiders coaches, including multiple instances of Crosby dropping back into coverage.
While this is something many might question, Crosby admitted that he has full trust in Pete Carroll and the Raiders coaching staff and feels he will excel in any position they put him in, including dropping in coverage sometimes, via Levi Edwards of Raiders.com:
“It’s definitely different, but for me I trust the coaches,” Crosby said. “I trust Coach Carroll and doing some different things. I feel like I can excel at any spot on the defense, and for me, I’m just trying to continue to evolve as a player. If that means dropping a little bit, we can do that.”
For his part, Carroll noted that he will continue to move guys around on the defensive line and put them in different positions to keep opposing offenses off-guard:
“We’re still evaluating the strengths and making sure that we’re zeroing in on that. But yeah, we’re going to continue to move our guys,” Carroll said. “We like the uniqueness that the guys bring, and so we’re trying to put them in those positions as much as possible and try to make it hard on your opponent so they’re not certain what we’re doing.”
Defensive tackle Jonah Laulu had an impressive showing against the Chargers, recording two sacks, while Tyree Wilson has also shown flashes of promise so far this year as the Raiders’ defense has performed strongly in 2025. They currently rank fifth in points allowed and fourth in rushing yards allowed, so there is certainly something to build on, and Crosby will continue to trust his coaches and what they are asking of him.
Jakobi Meyers happy to be with Raiders despite trade request
On the other side of the ball, there were questions coming into this season, especially when top receiver Jakobi Meyers requested a trade after he and the Raiders were unable to come to terms on a contract extension. But despite that request, Meyers insists he is still happy to be part of this team.
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