Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby surprisingly played on Sunday despite being listed as doubtful with a knee injury, but Crosby says the knee wasn’t the only issue he was having heading into the game.
Crosby said he had to go to the hospital last week for “some infections” that had him “down for the count for a few days.”
The Raiders’ injury report didn’t say anything about infections, listing only his knee injury as the reason he didn’t practice at all last week and was doubtful to play.
Crosby was on the field for a season-low 82 percent of the Raiders’ defensive snaps, but he did manage to sack Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes once.
“I trained all year round to do this, give myself the opportunity to play 17 guaranteed games and if I can go, I’m going to go,” he said, via ESPN. “You put everything into it. I played my ass off and everybody was out there playing their ass off. So, I just wanted to give our team a chance and . . . I didn’t want come off [the field]. It’s as simple as that.”
Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce has praised Crosby as having the mentality Pierce wants every Raider to emulate, and playing through that is the kind of thing that makes coaches love Crosby.