The Las Vegas Raiders have surprisingly moved to second in the AFC West after defeating the New England Patriots 21-17 Sunday. As the Raiders move to 3-3 coming off back-to-back wins, defensive end Maxx Crosby was glowing about his coach, Josh McDaniels.

“Coach McDaniels has done an awesome job and the guys love him,” Crosby said during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. “You can read all the headlines, the negativity and things like that. When you're losing, that's what comes with it. When you win football games, people start talking about the positives.”

“Coach McDaniels is with us every single day, he's consistent and that's all you can ask for in a head coach. He's super hard on us, but we know what we want and know what brand of football we're trying to play. I feel like we're getting closer and closer to that every single week … I have a ton of respect for him and we have a great relationship.”

The vocal support from his players is crucial for McDaniels, especially coming from a team leader like Maxx Crosby. Josh McDaniels needs a good season after going 6-11 last year. With a matchup against the Chicago Bears this weekend, there's a good chance the Raiders could start 4-3 so long as they take care of business.

This is McDaniel's second stint as an NFL coach after he had a failed shot coaching the Denver Broncos from 2009-2010 before returning to the Patriots as their offensive coordinator for a decade. If this opportunity doesn't go well, McDaniels may not get another head coaching chance.