Silver Minings: Maxx Crosby has a real shot at Defensive Player of the Year

While the pre-bye week results have been brutal for the 1-4 Las Vegas Raiders, one thing has stood out — pass rusher Maxx Crosby has established himself as one of the very best defensive players in the NFL.

Crosby went into Week 6 tied for the NFL lead with six sacks (he has had two sacks each in the past two games) and he is on pace for 20 sacks. His career high is 10 sacks as a rookie in 2019.

Crosby led the NFL with 11 tackles for losses through five games and no other player had more than seven. His total was the best in the league after five games in 10 seasons. He was also leading all defensive linemen in snaps through five weeks.

In short, Crosby has been dominant. He is a legitimate candidate to win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award and his odds continue to get stronger, according to our friends at DraftKings Sportsbook.

His odds are down to 16-1 from being 30-1 and 25-1 recently. Dallas’ Micah Parsons is a huge favorite at +100. But Crosby is starting to get more attention from the oddsmakers and that’s a smart move by them because we all know Crosby simply doesn’t quit.

In other Raiders’ news:

• Power Rankings: Check out where PFT has the Raiders’ ranked in its Week 7 Power Rankings.
• Mail call: The Athletic has a Raiders’ mailbag.
• Not a great pace: The Raiders’ coaching staff is on pace to coach in the Shrine game. That means the season isn’t going well.