Is Las Vegas Raiders superstar defensive end Maxx Crosby the NFL Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) after his performance in Week 5 on Monday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers? He should be, and here is why.

Raiders DE Maxx Crosby for NFL Defensive Player of the Year

Maxx Crosby, Raiders

Maxx Crosby was incredible in the Raiders Week 5 17-13 win over the Packers. On paper, five tackles, 1.0 sacks, one quarterback hit, and five tackles for a loss. On the screen, it looked like at least three Raiders were wearing a No. 98 jersey because Crosby was everywhere.

The 2019 fourth-round pick out of little Eastern Michigan has worked himself into one of the best pass rushers and best overall defensive players in the NFL during his four-plus seasons in the league, and this year could be his best one yet.

Crosby is coming off an 89-tackle, 12.5-sack season where he also led the league with 22 tackles for a loss. This year, he’s already up to 28 tackles, eight tackles for a loss, and 5.0 sacks. These numbers put him on pace for 95 tackles, 27 tackles for a loss, and 17.0 sacks. Those are NFL DPOY numbers for sure.

Currently, Crosby is a half-sack behind fellow DPOY candidate Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns and 3.0 sacks south of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ TJ Watt. However, the Raiders star has 18 more tackles and three more tackles for a loss than Garrett and is up by 13 and one in those categories, respectively, on Watt.

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, who may also be in this award mix when the season comes to an end is at 18 tackles, 4.0 sacks, and six tackles for a loss. Detroit Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson, Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones, and a pair of San Francisco 49ers — DE Joey Bosa and LB Fred Warner — are also in the mix but a little further down.

The big thing all those players have in common is that they all have advantages that Maxx Crosby doesn’t have during his NFL DPOY campaign.

The 49ers and Cowboys defenses are loaded, and Garret has an excellent secondary, while Watt has Alex Highsmith opposite him. As for Hutchinson and Jones on the Lions and Chiefs, they both have excellent offenses that give their defenses the lead so these guys can hunt quarterbacks on passing plays.

Crosby has none of that on the Raiders. His supporting cast is weak on the defensive side of the ball, and the offense may be even worse right now. Jimmy Garoppolo and company have scored 17, 10, 18, 17, and 17 points this season, which is the fourth-fewest in the league right now.

Linebacker Robert Spillane was excellent in the Raiders Week 6 win against the Packers with two interceptions but he’ll need to show more consistency in order to become a piece who truly helps Crosby reach his potential.

Like most awards in sports, the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award doesn’t have set and specific criteria. If voters want to give the award to the most physically dominant defensive player, then Garrett or Parsons will probably take it home. If they want to reward the most important and glamorous stat on defense — the sack — then Watt will win his second.

However, if the voters want to make it a defensive MVP award and really stress the “value” piece, there is no player more valuable to his unit or his team this season than Maxx Crosby.