The Las Vegas Raiders fell to the Miami Dolphins by a score of 34-19 last week, the latest in what has been a series of rather lifeless losses for the Raiders.
During the contest, it became very clear that Dolphins offensive lineman Liam Eichenberg had irritated Las Vegas defensive end Maxx Crosby, as Crosby drew an unnecessary roughness penalty after throwing a forearm at Eichenberg.
When asked about the situation this week, Eichenberg seemed to take pleasure in getting under Crosby's skin.
“He’s a great player, but he’s kind of easy to aggravate,” Eichenberg said, via Hal Habib of The Palm Beach Post.
Crosby logged five tackles against Miami, but he went without a quarterback hit, which represented only the third time this season that that has occurred.
Eichenberg added that his plan was to remain engaged with Crosby as long as possible, which probably caused the star pass rusher to reach his boiling point.
“So I think those two things kind of annoyed him,” Eichenberg said. “I mean, it was pretty early in the game, so I don’t know if he just had a a bad week or something. ... It’s nice when we get an extra 15."
Crosby is one of the best defensive players in the sport, so the fact that Eichenberg was able to keep him at bay for 60 minutes is unquestionably impressive.
On the season overall, Crosby has posted 34 tackles, 6.5 sacks and four passes defended.
The 27-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Eastern Michigan, was selected by the Raiders in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
He has spent his entire six-year career in the Silver and Black and has made three straight Pro Bowl appearances. Last season, he racked up 90 tackles and 14.5 sacks.
Meanwhile, Eichenberg is a former second-round pick who is now in his fourth NFL season. He has never earned a Pro Bowl selection, but he is definitely a good offensive lineman who may have some accolades in his future.
Las Vegas fell to 2-8 with its loss to the Dolphins and will face the Denver Broncos this Sunday.
