The Las Vegas Raiders head into Week 7 at 3-3 with a three-game losing streak, and they need more from Maxx Crosby and Tyler Linderbaum if they want to turn this meeting with the Los Angeles Rams into a reset. Crosby has been around the quarterback all season. The results have not matched the traffic.
At 29 years old, and listed at 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds, Crosby has only two sacks and two tackles for loss through the first six games. Pro Football Reference has him with 24 pressures, 11 hurries and 10 hits on the quarterback, which helps explain why the Raiders still view him as one of their most disruptive players even when the finish is not there. Last season, he finished with 29 total pressures and 10 sacks, so the expectation on him is not just to be busy, but to convert that pressure into drive-killing plays.
That is why the Rams matchup has taken on extra weight for Las Vegas. The Raiders are looking for a get-right game, and the trenches are where the issue is most obvious. Linderbaum, a high-priced free agent acquisition, was rag dolled by Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Deone Walker in last week's matchup, and that is the kind of loss the Raiders cannot absorb again if they want a cleaner performance in front of Matthew Stafford. Football often begins and ends up front, and this game puts that idea under a harsh spotlight.
The Rams arrive at 2-4, and the record is only part of the problem. They lost to the Buffalo Bills 37-34 in overtime in Week 5, then fell to the Arizona Cardinals 18-16 last Sunday. They also lost Davante Adams in Week 6 to a hamstring injury, Kobie Turner to a groin injury, Poona Ford to a ruptured triceps and Blake Grupe to a torn ACL, and they will be without Nate Landman because of a concussion. Sean McVay still has a team that can cause problems, but the group coming into Las Vegas is short on healthy answers.
So the next step is simple enough to define, even if it is hard to deliver: the Raiders need Crosby to turn pressure into impact and Linderbaum to hold his ground long enough for the offense to function. If Las Vegas is going to stop the slide, Week 7 is where that has to start.
