The Las Vegas Raiders defense took another step last year. Well, when you put the 2022 defense and the 2023 defense side by side, it would be safe to say it was more like a leap than a step from one season to the next. In 2022, they were terrible. In 2023, they were the seventh-best defense in the league, averaging 19 points allowed per game.
A large reason why was because of how much better star defensive end Maxx Crosby got from last season to this season. He was truly the best player on the field for the Raiders every single snap and never missed one. But he could have been better.
Crosby was doing all of that while playing through two major injuries. He let us know after the season ended that he would get surgery on both, and now he has, on both his knee and his hand. But, he recently revealed on his podcast just how bad the injuries were, specifically the knee injury.
"My Bursa was destroyed and dismantled," Crosby said on his show The Rush with Maxx Crosby. "I blew it up the first time and was like, 'Okay, it could possibly heal.' It kept getting worse, and every game, I kept landing on it."
Crosby revealed it was infected badly.
There is a video going around on Twitter that breaks down what the Bursa is and what its function is. It also shows what happened with Crosby and just how bad and dangerous his injury was.
It really puts into perspective and makes you appreciate what Crosby has done.Â
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