Maxx Crosby scoffed at reports of a players-only meeting occurring early in the week.
But Crosby, Devin White, Jonah Laulu, and a slew of other Las Vegas Raiders defenders surely had a meeting at quarterback.
And Tennessee Titans rookie Cam Ward was front and center of that as the Silver & Black smothered the visiting Titans 20-10.
Crosby was his usual disruptive self at defensive end pacing both team’s with two sacks. Laulu and fellow defensive tackle Leki Fotu each had a sack, but was White who set the frenetic tone for Las Vegas.
The Raiders’ linebacker timed a perfect blitz to get the strip sack and defensive end Tyree Wilson dove to recover the fumble setting up Las Vegas offense on the Titans’ two-yard line. Three plays later, Geno Smith hit tight end Michael Mayer for the four-yard touchdown.
Timing and execution on that blitz and takeaway was so exact that one had to wonder if White was clued in. Apparently, he was.
“We ran that play in practice and they blocked it, practice squad guys blocked it, so I was ready. I made a play in practice on it, obviously I didn’t hit the quarterback, but I knew that I was going for the ball if they double Maxx. And they went over there and chipped Maxx, so I knew it was going to leave me free.”
For much of the afternoon, Raiders defenders harassed Ward — the top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft — so much so, the sixth sack wasn’t credited to any defender as the Titans quarterback simply lost the ball trying to cock it back for a throw. That loose ball was recovered by defensive tackle Thomas Booker IV to put an emphatic stamp over a solid defensive performance in a must-win game.
White’s complete game also included an interception of a pop-fly type throw as Laulu hit Ward as he threw with eight seconds left in the first half. The six tackles, one strip sack, one interception first half performance was much needed from White as he looked a step slow and outright confused during Las Vegas four-game losing skid.
Offensively, the Raiders couldn’t gain any traction like it’s defensive counterparts, but the dominance was so thorough by Crosby, White and Co. And that showcases just how futile the one-win Titans (1-5 overall) have been during a rough 2025 campaign.
Let’s hit the quick slants as fast as White and Crosby got to Ward in a much-needed victory:
—Raiders head coach Pete Carroll wanted his team to run the ball more and the rush to pass ratio read: 32 to 23. Rookie Ashton Jeanty paced Las Vegas ground game with 23 carries for 75 yards (3.3 yards per carry average) and a touchdown.
—Las Vegas quarterback Geno Smith went 17 of 23 for 174 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He was also sack twice. Smith continues to build his league-leading interceptions thrown with 10 on the season.
—Wide receiver Tre Tucker paced the air attack for the Raiders with five receptions for 70 yards. Mayer contributed five catches for 50 yards and the lone touchdown reception. Wideout Jakobi Meyers ended with four grabs for 39 yards.
—How bad were the Raiders’ and Titans’ offenses? Tennessee generated 225 total yards on 59 plays. Las Vegas generated 226 yards on 57 plays. Only two yards separated the teams through the air (160 yards for the Titans, 158 for the Raiders) and only three on the ground (65 from Tennessee, 68 from Las Vegas).
—Las Vegas needs to hone in on red zone and third-down offense as they progress through the rest of the 2025 campaign. The Raiders scored touchdowns twice on four trips inside the Titans’ 20-yard line and went 6-of-13 on third downs.
—The three takeaways should uplift not only Raiders defenders but also defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. The two fumbles recovered along with the interception is something both coach and players wanted to see and Graham’s exasperated tone when asked about it earlier in the week was evident of that.
Quotes of Note
“Yeah, we’re not worried about the outside noise in this locker room. We’ve got each other; this is a brotherhood coaches, the organization, us. Yeah, we’re in this together, man, were not worried about what everyone else is saying.”
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer on if the win provides some ignoring the outside noise
“He’s real explosive, just off the ball every play. He’s going in run game and pass game. We had a plan for him, but at the end of the day, he’s one of the best defensive ends in the world. So, he had himself a good game. But at the end of the day, a lot of stuff we could have controlled. And we know, you play good guys, they end up getting in the backfield a couple times like him. But I think at the end of the day, we’re just not doing anything on offense. I’m not doing anything on offense. So, we have to just be consistent. Right now, we’re not.”
Tennessee quarterback Cam Ward on his impressions of Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby
Up Next
The Raiders (2-4 overall) are set to hit the road for an AFC West Showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs (3-3). The Chiefs are coming off an impressive bullying of the Detroit Lions on Sunday night and appear coming together as a complete football team. Las Vegas looked dead in the water before the victory over Tennessee and another concentrated effort in Kansas City could mean another win. And that would boost the Raiders to 3-4 — the same record as the Chiefs.
