NFL Insider Issues Maxx Crosby Injury Update After Raiders’ Loss to Chiefs

The Las Vegas Raiders had some positive momentum after picking up their second win of the season in Week 6 over the Tennessee Titans. It didn’t take long for that momentum to disappear, as they were flat-out embarrassed in their 31-0 defeat at the hands of the

Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7. Making matters worse, superstar defensive end Maxx Crosby was forced out of this game early with a knee injury.

Pretty much nothing went right for the Raiders

in this one, and they waved the white flag midway through the second half. It certainly didn’t help that they were without Crosby for a point in time, as he’s been one of the few bright spots for the team through seven games. On Monday morning, the team received an update on Crosby’s status as they head into their bye week.

Maxx Crosby’s Injury Not Viewed as Serious

Las Vegas was outclassed in pretty much every facet of the game by Kansas City on Sunday. The Chiefs were getting everything they wanted on offense, while their defense had no trouble slowing down the Raiders’ lethargic offense. Heading into Week 8, it’s clear this team has some soul-searching to do.

It didn’t help that the heart and soul of their defense, Crosby, was forced to miss some time down the stretch of this one. Despite Las Vegas’ struggles, Crosby has been his typical disruptive self on the defensive line, racking up 28 tackles, four sacks, 10 tackles for a loss, one interception, five pass deflections, and one fumble forced through seven games.

When Crosby was pulled early due to a knee injury, it seemed like an already bad day had gotten even worse for the Raiders. And yet, while Crosby didn’t finish the game,

NFL insider Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that the team was simply being cautious with their superstar defender, given the fact that they were getting blown out by the Chiefs.

“They have a bye this coming week, so no immediate urgency for Maxx Crosby,” Rapoport said on “Good Morning Football.” “My understanding is this is not a major knee injury. He really is OK. They kind of just wanted to get him off the field and protect him from himself, given the score of the game.”

Raiders Hoping Maxx Crosby Can Get Healthy During Bye Week

GettyLas Vegas Raiders DE Maxx Crosby.

Regardless of the severity of Crosby’s knee injury, he will have some extra time to get himself healthy for Las Vegas moving forward. While there are a lot of issues the team will work on solving during its time off, if Crosby is forced to miss time, it will make an already challenging situation even more difficult for the team.

The Raiders will enjoy some time off over the next week, but when they return to action, they are going to have to put in some serious work if they want to turn things around. They will draw a matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 9, and while the Jags are 4-3, they are fresh off getting walloped by the

Los Angeles Rams themselves in Week 7. Kickoff for this game is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 2.

Lions Star Aidan Hutchinson Avoided Punishment for Patrick Mahomes Hit

The Detroit Lions faced plenty of NFL punishment for their testy game against the Kansas City Chiefs, including safety Brian Branch who was handed a one-game suspension for sparking a postgame skirmish when he struck wide receiver

JuJu Smith-Schuster.

But another Lions star avoided punishment for an earlier hit on quarterback Patrick Mahomes that drew a penalty.

Aidan Hutchinson Escapes Punishment

Hutchinson handed his team a costly penalty in the second half of last week’s 30-17 loss when he came off a block late and hit Mahomes well after the Chiefs quarterback had released the ball. The hit drew a flag for unnecessary roughness and allowed the Chiefs to extend their drive.

Instead of getting the ball back trailing by three points and the chance to tie or take the lead, the Lions watched Mahomes continue to march the Chiefs down the field, ending the drive with a touchdown pass to

Marquise Brown to widen their lead to 27-17.

The NFL regularly issues fines for late hits, but Hutchinson avoided punishment when the league announced fines on Saturday. There were two other Lions players —

Alex Anzalone and Tyler Lacy — who were handed punishments, however. The league announced that Anzalone was docked $12,172 for “unnecessary roughness” and “striking/kicking/tripping/kneeing.” Lacy was fined $5,722 for “unnecessary roughness” as well.

Hutchinson has had to deal with plenty of borderline hits himself. Earlier this season, the Lions sent a message to the league asking for officials to keep an eye out for illegal low blocks against the team’s star edge rusher.

“The Detroit Lions have taken notice, and they’ve asked the league office to monitor the plays against Aidan Hutchinson,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said on Monday Night Countdown last month.

Lions Lose Brian Branch for Critical Game

The biggest hit to the Lions was the one-game suspension for Branch, who appealed but was turned down in his bid to have the punishment overturned. The Lions must now face the 5-1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers without one of their top safeties, on top of the hits the team has already taken due to injuries.

Despite Branch’s attempt to appeal the suspension, NFL vice president of football operations

Jon Runyan released a statement saying his unprovoked attack on Smith-Schuster after the final whistle had sounded went beyond the bounds of the game.

“Your aggressive, non-football act was entirely unwarranted, posed a serious risk of injury, and clearly violated the standards of conduct and sportsmanship expected of NFL players. Your conduct reflected poorly on the NFL and has no place in our game,” Runyan said.

While Branch was widely criticized for his postgame actions, Mahomes was more forgiving of the late hit from Hutchinson. He told reporters after last week’s game that he expects hard hits against a physical team like the Lions and didn’t feel it was personal.

“You’re playing football. I mean, you’re being chippy,” Mahomes told reporters. “That’s a physical football team, and they have a mentality that they come in to play with, and we’re going to match that mentality. We’re not afraid to go up against anybody, and that’s the mentality coach (Andy) Reid brings every single day.”

Sport