Las Vegas Raiders superstar Maxx Crosby arrived at Gillette Stadium on Sunday morning looking more like a Boston sports icon than a visiting Raiders defender.
Video shared by ESPN’s Mike Reiss showed the star edge rusher walking into the building in a white Larry Bird Boston Celtics jersey, the number 33 clearly visible, ahead of Las Vegas’ Week 5 meeting with the New England Patriots.
The choice drew immediate attention, pairing one of the NFL’s most relentless pass rushers with one of the city’s most celebrated athletes.
Bird’s résumé needs little introduction in Foxborough. The Hall of Famer led the Celtics to three championships, earned three MVP awards, made 12 All-Star teams, and claimed two Finals MVP honors before retiring in 1992.
His jersey hangs in the rafters at TD Garden, and the image of a Raiders captain wearing those colors gave the pregame atmosphere an unexpected cross-sport flavor.
There was no indication Crosby meant the look as anything more than a nod to a basketball legend, yet the visual stood out before a matchup with clear stakes on the field.
Once the game begins, that goodwill is likely to evaporate quickly. Crosby enters the afternoon as the centerpiece of the Raiders’ defensive front and one of the league’s highest-paid edge defenders.
His current extension is valued at $106.5 million, with $62.5 million fully guaranteed. Through four games he has produced 25 pressures, ranking fourth among edge rushers, along with a 90.0 overall defensive grade from Pro Football Focus.
The breakdown includes three sacks, nine quarterback hits, and 13 hurries, production that has helped fuel an aggressive Las Vegas pressure package.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel addressed the challenge earlier in the week.
Asked how New England would account for Crosby’s ability to move around the formation, Vrabel was direct: “Maxx will go wherever he wants to go, and he will do whatever he wants to do.”
He added that the Patriots simply “have to know where he is on every single play,” and he praised Crosby’s effort and leadership.
The team’s own game-plan notes identified veteran right tackle Morgan Moses as the primary matchup against Crosby, noting that New England may need to use chips and shifting pockets to limit his impact on both the run and pass.
The Raiders have amplified that threat with heavy use of Cover 0 looks, employing the coverage at an NFL-high rate of 10.3 percent while generating pressure on 37.7 percent of opponent dropbacks. That combination creates another test for quarterback Drake Maye after New England’s recent road win in Buffalo.
Crosby has already shown he can turn a momentary protection lapse into a drive-ending play, and the Patriots will need to locate him on every snap if they hope to keep him from dictating the afternoon.
The Bird jersey may have offered a lighthearted pregame moment, but the real story will be written once Crosby lines up across from Maye’s offensive line.
