Jaguars coach Liam Coen talks about Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby
Jaguars head coach Liam Coen talks about Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby and how he might disrupt Jacksonville’s offense.
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence expressed respect for Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby’s relentless play style.The Jaguars’ offensive line has allowed 17 sacks in the last three games, a trend they must reverse against Crosby.Lawrence remains confident the offense can correct its mistakes and improve moving forward.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence knows what awaits him when he plays the Las Vegas Raiders this weekend.
Lawrence will line up across from an absolute game wrecker in defensive end Maxx Crosby.
Crosby is one of the best pass rushers in the NFL, but it feels like that’s selling his impact a bit short. He’s able to affect the game in so many ways, whether it’s him pressuring the quarterback or making hustle plays to run down ball carriers.
Lawrence and Crosby traded verbal barbs the last time the two faced off in 2022, but he said he has a lot of respect for Crosby’s game.
“He’s one of those guys; there’s a handful of them in this league,” Lawrence told reporters during his weekly media availability. “I mean a lot of great players in this league, but as far as just those defensive end, pass rusher guys, he’s just constant nonstop.”
Crosby had five tackles and a quarterback hit on Lawrence in 2022, but he didn’t record any sacks.
In fact, the Raiders were blanked in the sacks department as they logged zero in the 27-20 loss to the Jaguars.
Crosby did not play against the Jaguars in their 2024 meeting because of ankle surgery.
Lawrence will need his offensive line to step up and deliver that type of clean performance from 2022 as Jacksonville has allowed 17 sacks in their last three outings. Not all of them are on the offensive line, though, with Lawrence’s indecisiveness causing a a handful of sacks.
He won’t be afforded the opportunity to hesitate against Crosby, who has recorded 18 tackles, four sacks and an interception in his 2025 campaign, showing no ill effects from the December ankle surgery.
“It’s not always that he’s just winning right away,” Lawrence continued. “He has plenty of those on tape, too, but it’s the effort to chase the ball, to go after it, to cause fumbles, to tip balls in the air.
“It’s all those things I think make him a great player. And as you can tell, we have a lot of respect for him.”
Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars’ offense used bye week to self-scout and address struggles
The Jaguars got off to a hot start this season with signature wins against the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs. But they dropped the last two games before the bye week after being struck in neutral to start both games.
Especially against the Los Angeles Rams where they found themselves in a 21-0 hole, an insurmountable deficit for the team as it currently stands.
“Yes, we need to improve. We need to get better and we haven’t played to our standard,” Lawrence said. “But it’s very correctable things and things that I know that we can execute and can do well and we can be a really good offense.”
One of the most glaring issues is the constant penalties called on the team. From procedural mishaps to mental errors or lapses that cause harm, the Jaguars are constantly on the wrong side of the whistle. It causes the offense to get into down and distance situations which, again, the Jaguars aren’t really constructed to overcome currently.
The other major issue is drops, which Pro Football Reference has tagged the Jaguars with 27 through seven games. They attributed Brian Thomas Jr. with a team-high nine drops, an issue that’s caused the second-year pass catcher to be at the center of trade rumors recently.
“We haven’t played a complete game, but feel very optimistic about where we’re heading, the direction we’re going, everyone being on the same page,” Lawrence said. “I think that’s a big thing, which was good for the open week to get on the same page to talk about some stuff, what we need to get better at, and what we need to correct.”
Head coach Liam Coen told reporters that he and Lawrence spent time talking about the biggest areas of improvement moving forward. Lawrence echoed the coach’s thoughts in conversation.
We’ll see if the conversations materialize into actual change as the Jaguars face the Raiders from Allegiant Stadium.
“I really feel confident, optimistic, moving forward and like this unit is going to really make the improvements,” Lawrence said. “Obviously starts with me, and I’m excited for another opportunity.”